- Publika iha: 06 Julho 2023
The Executive Director of the National Hospital Guido Valadares (HNGV), in Dili, Doctor Alito Soares said after 20 years, and despite some progress, the hospital still faces major challenges, including with its current infrastructure, limited human resources, lack of diagnostic services and treatment available for patients.
He added they will need to strengthen human resources and seek specialization and sub-specialisation for doctors, nurses, and allied health staff. And that the hospital will also need to modernise its equipment so it can do better diagnosis and respond to the needs of patients.
“We are focussing on three key areas, cardiology, oncology, and dialysis, because these are the three key issues for us and most patients we refer overseas are suffering from illness related to them. If we are aiming to send less patients overseas, we must improve in these areas,” he said at HNGV.
For the treatment of cancer, in Timor-Leste there is now an oncology centre, and five oncologists, nurses and allied health workers, trained and who can dispense some of the treatments in Timor-Leste. But they still need more equipment and further training. He called for greater investment in diagnostic equipment, treatments, and the ability to perform open surgery.
Currently the team at the national hospital is only able to perform basic diagnostics and limited treatment for cardiac patients and for cases requiring more specialised support, they are still being referred to hospitals in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Dr Alito added there 74 Timorese doctors with specialisation in different areas, and two sub-specialists in orthopaedic and in cardiac surgery. At the nurses and allied health levels, they do not yet have specialists.
Maria de Carvalho, a local resident interviewed at the hospital said she was there looking for medicines.
“I came to see the doctor last week, but they did not have medicines. So, I had to go and buy my own medicines but I have run out already. I came to ask if they have them in stock already but they said they are still out of the medicines I need," she said.
She added that if patients go to health facilities and they don’t have medical equipment and medicines, what are the doctors supposed to do.
“I would buy [my own medicines] if I had a good job, but I don’t work. What can I do now?” she asked.
She hopes the new government will consider the issues at the national hospital and prioritise resolving the lack of medicines in Timor-Leste.
This article is an edited version of the original article in Tetum - https://www.thediliweekly.com/tl/notisias/saude/21594-hngv-konsentra-mellora-kondisaun-atende-moras-tolu-prinsipal