Since its establishment in 2017, Eureka Atlantic Offshore Medical Services (EAOMS) is proving on a daily basis, that partnerships between local and foreign companies can be highly successful in penetrating the supply chain for Guyana’s oil industry. It has also justified President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s call for the creation of such ties.
EAOMS represents a partnership between Canada’s Atlantic Offshore Medical Services and Guyana’s Eureka Medical Laboratories Inc. It is 49 percent owned by the former and 51 percent owned by the latter. Atlantic Offshore Medical Services operates a fully dedicated occupational medical facility in St. John’s, Canada that is equipped and computerized to accommodate the provision of occupational medical services, as well as the administrative and accounting aspects needed to provide these services efficiently.
As for Eureka Medical Laboratories, this company was established in Guyana on March 5, 1995, and has since blossomed into one of Guyana’s premier medical institutions, securing a sizable laboratory market share. EML operates in Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Rose Hall, Parika, Charity, Anna Regina, Linden and Bartica.
During an exclusive interview with OilNOW, Head of Eureka Medical Laboratories Inc., Andrew Boyle, said the partnership has been instrumental in providing medical services to the burgeoning Guyana oil and gas sector. These include trained and certified medical professionals to remote offshore worksites along with primary and emergency care supported by local on-call physicians and appropriate medical equipment and consumables.
He said too that EAOMS dedicates itself to the active promotion of health in the workplace, through collaboration with employers and employees, while always maintaining the principles of medical confidentiality. EAOMS, he said, believes that such activities result in work well done.
Boyle said, “The company has been blossoming since it got off the ground and we are well known in the oil and gas industry. We have also been instrumental in ensuring the safety of workers going on and offshore during this time…So I would say that we are reflective of the success that can be had between local and foreign companies partnering to break into the sector…”
Supporting his position was his joint venture partner, Liam O’Shea, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AOMS. In an invited comment, O’Shea said, “We are very pleased with the progress to date, both of our entities are strongly committed to quality control and assurance, and we have worked very well together. Our cultures from a business perspective are very similar and in fact, the overall similarities between Newfoundland and Labrador and Guyana are remarkable.”
The CEO added, “Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), when we first began our offshore industry, was very similar to Guyana today and we’ve been producing oil offshore NL for over 20 years now but there were learning curves and hurdles to jump along the way. We’re optimistic that our experience here (in NL) with the oil and gas industry, in our service deliverables, may be beneficial to our partnership and its growth.”
Since the start of the pandemic, EAOMS’ clientele for COVID-19 testing has grown and includes ExxonMobil along with some of its prime contractors in Guyana with works spanning across all regions.
For ExxonMobil, EAOMS has been responsible for the coordination of PCR testing for COVID-19 for all offshore vessels. It also does similar work for SBM offshore for all onshore and offshore personnel.
OilNOW understands that Management Partners of EAOMS both have individual ISO certifications in place. According to Tiffany Roberts, Operations Manager for EAOMS, Eureka Medical Laboratories Inc. is the first internationally accredited medical laboratory in Guyana. This she said shows the company’s commitment to continually demonstrate competence and deliver timely, accurate, and reliable results. She was keen to note that the EAOMS team is actively engaged in a structured plan to independently certify. She said this is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2022.
During her interview with OilNOW, Roberts shared that she is pleased with the progress that EAOMS has made since the joint venture got started in 2017. Of particular significance to the Operations Manager is the role the company is able to play in the fight against the pandemic as she said support has been given to 40 plus companies. This support was in the form of laboratory testing for both preventative screening and travelling.
Roberts further stated, “We continue to meet and exceed the requirements of the oil and gas industry. This doesn’t come without its challenges. However, working with the team in Canada to streamline processes that are relatively new to Guyana has been amazing.”
Overall, Roberts said the partnership has paved the way for the provision of quality integrated medical services to the oil and gas industry.
