30/01/2026
Dr. Saska Sertimer serves on the board of directors of Mercy Hospital. We are delighted to share her experiences from the post.
๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ: ๐๐ซ. ๐๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ซโ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐
For Dr. Saska Sertimer, medicine has always been more than a profession. It is a calling rooted in care, compassion, faith, and service to people.
Her journey into healthcare began long before she entered medical school. Trained initially as a pharmacist at the University of Guyana, Dr. Sertimerโs fascination with medicine started in childhood, when she would carefully read medication labels and help ensure her family followed prescribed dosages. While pharmacy became her first professional step, she always knew her ultimate goal was to become a medical doctor. She credits both her parents for nurturing this curiosity and ambition, expressing deep gratitude for their love and encouragement. Though her father has since passed, his support continues to inspire her, and she notes that her mother remains an important source of guidance and support in her daily life.
After working as a pharmacist, she returned to the University of Guyana to pursue medicine, completing her medical degree and internship through the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). In 2012, she was offered an opportunity that would shape the next chapter of her career, joining the Industry Health Centre shortly after it came under GPHCโs management. She currently serves as a Medical Registrar and Family and Primary Care Physician, a role she has steadily grown into through years of dedication and continuous learning.
Although her early interests leaned toward internal medicine, Dr. Sertimer embraced primary care and community health, a decision she says she has never regretted. In 2013, she began postgraduate training in Family Medicine, later earning qualifications through Middlesex University in London and completing her Masterโs in Family Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. This advanced training strengthened her belief in holistic, patient-centred care, where prevention, early screening, and continuity of care are just as vital as treatment.
For approximately 14 years, Dr. Sertimer has served as the Doctor in Charge at the Industry Health Centre, overseeing remarkable growth and transformation. From a time when she was the sole doctor on site, the facility has expanded into a robust primary care centre with a dedicated medical team, family medicine residents, and rotating physicians. Services have also significantly expanded and now include chronic disease management for diabetes and hypertension, HIV care and treatment, smoking cessation support, and specialty clinics such as dermatology, psychiatry, and spirometry.
A defining aspect of her leadership is mentorship. Over the years, numerous staff members have rotated through the clinic under her supervision, and she has consistently encouraged them to keep striving, learning, and advancing in their careers. She speaks with pride about their achievements, viewing their success as one of the most rewarding parts of her role.
At the heart of Dr. Sertimerโs leadership is her deep commitment to community health. She values the unique relationships built in primary care, caring for entire families over many years, from newborns to the elderly. She understands that many patients simply need someone to listen, and she takes pride in providing care that is not only clinical, but kind, respectful, and compassionate.
โOur patients should always leave feeling heard, supported, and cared for,โ she emphasizes. โThat sense of peace and reassurance is just as important as the treatment itself.โ
She is especially passionate about preventive medicine, advocating for early screening for breast and cervical cancer, prostate health, diabetes, and hypertension, interventions she knows can save lives and prevent serious complications.
To young professionals considering a career in healthcare, her advice is grounded in humility and purpose. Medicine, she believes, requires a genuine love for people and a heart for service. She also credits her journey and accomplishments to faith, acknowledging that she owes all her successes to the Almighty.
Through her dedication, leadership, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to community health, Dr. Saska Sertimer continues to make a lasting impact, not only at the Industry Health Centre, but in the lives of the families and communities she serves every day.
