T.O. doctor saves babies in Guyana Dr. Narendra Singh

A Toronto doctor is giving babies a fighting chance in Guyana.

Dr. Narendra Singh, chief of pediatrics at Toronto’s Humber River Regional Hospital, started the Guyana Help the Children program in the South Amercian country’s Georgetown Public Hospital Corp. (GPHC) two years ago.

The program is designed to provide care for premature babies which are common in Guyana because of a lack of prenatal care.

Singh was on vacation in his homeland and visited the GPHC where his father worked as the hospital’s administrator.

He realized there were only two pediatricians in Guyana — a country with a population of 750,000 — and they were in private practice.

“Guyana ranks 125th in the world when we look at infant mortality and they don’t have adequately trained personnel — doctors, as well as nurses,” Singh said.

He decided to donate his expertise to solve the problem by setting up a pediatric residence program and purchase needed pediatric equipment. Financing the work was an issue so he got some partners.

“We have developed some partnerships with a few organization here in Toronto. The Brampton Flower City Rotary Club has given us money to purchase pieces of equipment and a golf tournament for Sick Kids has also provided some support to purchase key pieces of equipment,” Singh said.

Guyana Help the Kids also holds an annual dinner and dance to help fund the program.

“The mortality rate is so high because a lack of adequately trained personnel and inadequate equipment. Both contribute to the mortality rate,” he said.

“Guyana realizes they don’t have the necessary skills and equipment to impact the infant mortality rate so we are working closely with them on this with (Guyana’s) ministry of health and the main hospital and the university,” Singh said.

Guyana Help the Kids also partners with Ohio’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the University of Toronto, McMaster University and pediatricians from Humber hospital.

“We have launched the residency program and this year we will be graduating two pediatric residents to add to the compliment of three. So by having five we are multiplying the number of pediatricians in the country every year,” Singh said.

The organization also provides neonatal training to nurses.

“We have just opened the first level-three neonatal care unit in Guyana with 24 beds — which is twice the size of the neonatal care unit here at Humber — equipped with all the necessary equipment, which includes incubators, warmers, monitors and IV pumps,” Singh said.

At the GPHC, the mortality rate has dropped 40% since Guyana Help the Children started working there.

Over the next three years, the plan is to extend the program to the other four regional hospitals in Guyana.

“We want to cover all the babies born in Guyana,” said Singh, who added the goal is make Guyana self reliant in infant care. “I don’t want to be doing this 10 years from now.”

Singh is doing extremely important work for Guyana, said Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, Guyana’s minister of health, .

“He has done good work here in an area where we are weak. He teaches skills in the weak parts of our system. He trains doctors and nurses the knowledge they need. We have lost many children from the time they are born to five years of age and Dr. Singh helps us to address critical aspects of that,” Ramsaran said.

“He is helping us reduce mortality because ours is at unacceptable levels. I appreciate the long term engagement. (Guyana Help the Children) keep coming back and giving of themselves.”

This man is a hero