Consultation begins on Consumer Protection Legislation
- to ensure consumers rights are protected
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2009
Steps are currently being undertaken by the Commerce Ministry’s Consumer Affairs Division to ensure that consumers’ rights are strengthened and protected. To this end, consultation on the Consumer Protection Legislation began today at the Ministry’s boardroom.
The Consumer Protection Legislation was passed in the National Assembly in 2006; but was not assented to by President Bharrat Jagdeo as it was felt that there needed to be more thorough consultation on the bill which would have a direct impact on consumers.
Director of the Consumer Affairs Division, Clifford Zammett said that his Division is working to engage the public in the consultation of this legislation as he noted that over the years there have been complaints from consumers.
Today’s meeting was attended by representatives of the Guyana Consumers Association, the Consumer Advisory Bureau and the Consumer Movement of Guyana.
“If we are going to be able to go ahead we need this group on board because the laws that will be established… will be working towards bringing some kind of an equilibrium to the market,” Zammett said.
He added that the Ministry recognises that the laws should be able to help the consumers; to be properly protected and represented. As such the Division intends to consult with all the stakeholders of the industry; including the business sector, the various Chambers of Commerce and politicians.
The National Competitiveness Strategy Unit is giving support to the Division to ensure that the Bill goes through its full round of consultation which is expected to be completed by June.
The Bill has eight sections which outline the composition of a Consumer Affairs Commission, a corporate body, which will be able to enter into any transaction and engage in activities that the Commission feels necessary to ensure the proper and effective discharge of its functions.
Other priority areas are: acquiring the necessary skills and capacity building of the Consumer Affairs Division, giving more support to the non-governmental consumer organisations and effective establishment of a countrywide network of consumer protection focal points or agencies.
It will also address the term of ‘goods not returnable’ as it demands that consumers be given a receipt and spells out what is expected of the receipt to be provided and the redress to be given.
Part five of the Bill outlines measures to address unfair trade practices while part six deals with enforcement and remedies. This section makes provision for the establishment of a Consumer Fair Trading Tribunal which will be vested with the powers and authority of the High Court in the exercise of its civil jurisdiction.
Other legislation that have been enacted to protect consumers include the Competition Policy Legislation and the Competition and Fair Trading Legislation.
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Agro-processors urged to develop products
- association formed to provide greater representation
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2009
The agro-processing industry has been steadily developing and Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad at a meeting with agro-processors today urged them to develop and maintain a high standard of their products and to take advantage of this market.
The Minister stated that agro-processors need to gear themselves to compete with the products from international markets that are sold in Guyana and assured that support will be provided to them to ensure that they are able to compete.
The Agro-processors met at the Ministry to form the Guyana Agro-Processors Association and elect an executive that will represent them at various forums.
“We are here now to give you the assistance and now that you have formed an organised body you can be sure that you will receive assistance from this Ministry which will collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), the Small Business Council, and the other agencies,” he assured.
The Minister was adamant that greater emphasis needs to be placed on product development to meet the high standards for exporting.
Minister Prashad making a point, seated next to him is Sharon Alexander, Industrial Development Analysts of the Commerce Ministry
Over the years Guyana has been on a course to develop and diversify its agro-processing industry and Minister Prashad stated that with the various initiatives underway by the Ministry’s National Competitiveness Strategy such as the Small Business Secretariat, the Small Business Council and the Matching Grants Initiative (which will be launched shortly); these will provide up to 80 percent in technical support.
Agro-processing is one of the areas of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that has been dominated by a large number of persons, who depend on this activity for a livelihood. However, because the operations are small, very little attention is given to the type of packaging and labelling used which results in poor presentation of often very good products. This undermines the perception of the quality of the product and contributes to difficulty in competing with more attractively packaged products, he said.
Minister Prashad said that while pricing is an area that will also be looked, there is no organised methodology of how products are priced.
The Minister praised the agro-processors for creating a organized body which he said will go along way in ensuring that their needs are met and the industry is developed.
Also at the meeting were representatives from EMPRETEC, Guyana National Bureau of Standards and GMC.
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Midwives among those to benefit from $700M allocated for health care workers’ training-Minister Ramsaran at launch of Midwifery association
Georgetown, GINA, May 06, 2009
Government will continue to invest in training health care professionals for which this year $700M will be spent. Among those who will benefit are 1000 nurses and nine new categories of workers. Midwives will benefit from this allocation also.
Minister within the Ministry of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsaran told nurses during the launch of the Midwifery nurses association and symposium today at the Guyana Nurses Association Hall, Charlotte and Alexander Streets of Government’s commitment towards safe motherhood.
Guyana is a signatory to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals of which has set 2015 for the achievement of eight objectives including the reduction of maternal and child mortality which has two of its indicators-reducing by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio and by two-thirds the mortality ratio of children under-five years.
Guyana implemented various programmes intended to reduce maternal and childhood mortality and for attaining the MDG. These include: encouraging exclusive breastfeeding up to Six months where it is appropriate, promoting complete vaccinations of all children before entry to nursery schools; providing essential emergency obstetric care in remote areas in the hinterland, Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (lMCI) through all ten regions of Guyana; promoting and expanding the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV so that all women have access to PMTCT and all affected mothers and children have access to antiretroviral drugs, thus decreasing the incidence of MTCT and encouraging fathers to participate actively in the care of their children and the establishment of a dedicated theater for maternity cases at the Suddie and Mahaicony Diagnostic and Treatment centres.
Minister within the Ministry of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsaran at launch of Midwifery Association
The Government of Guyana recognizes that the promotion of safe motherhood is an essential tool in an effort to further reduce the morbidities and mortalities in women and children. It is a social and economic investment that contributes to development of individuals, families, communities and the country.
He said the administration is committed to safe motherhood and has continued to invest in the health sector to ensure improved health care service to its citizens.
With the assistance from international health organisations the services being delivered to expectant mothers have improved, Dr. Ramsaran said.
He told the nurses that it is his hope that the association will grow and go beyond its boundaries and urged them to be dedicated in the delivery of health care to patients.
The association was launched under the theme ‘World Needs Midwives Now More Than Ever’ withthe aim of strengthening the capacity of the midwifery services and maternal and child health care through supporting measures to improve the standards of practice, education, regulation and personal development of midwives in the country.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Assistant Representative, Patrice La Fleur said midwifery skill forms the basis of comprehensive skill care and essential midwifery competency which encompass family planning, safe abortion and emergency care for all women and infants with life threatening complications.
She told the nurses that midwives not only provide ante-natal, intra-partum and post-partum care, but their competencies also include delivery of essential sexual and reproductive health services at the primary health care level.
“As midwives you provide comprehensive maternal and newborn care, midwifery is actually the only health care profession where training has a fundamental focus on both the care of the mother and her newborn,” La Fleur said.
She said the UNFPA is happy with the launch of the association and that the organisation looks forward to advocacy and aggressive programming to ensure that midwives are recognized.
“I want to applaud you and encourage our midwives to see yourselves as important because you are sometimes the first to see the birth of that newborn and so you are special in many ways….I encourage you to be the best midwives that you can,” La Fleur urged.
Meanwhile, Director Maternal and Child Health, Ministry of Health, Dr. Janice Woolford said even though the maternal and infant mortality rates are declining Guyana has one of the highest rates of reduction in the Caribbean.
Nurses at the launch of Midwifery Association, Guyana Nurses Association Hall, Alexander and Charlotte Streets
She said the Health Ministry continues to strive to ensure that the country is on track to meet the targets set in the 2015 MDGs.
“Midwives are the forerunners of our primary health care system, health care delivery could only be possible through the commitment and hard work of the midwives and other health care workers at the primary level in the health centre and also at the secondary level at the hospital,” Woolford said.
She said since the introduction of the obstetric emergency training programme over 200 health workers including midwives and doctors in emergency obstetric have been trained.
“We have also had safe motherhood training which starts from pre-conception to the post natal care and the alarm training which was being enhanced for safe motherhood training at the primary health care level,” Woolford added.
It was also noted that the symposium will seek to mobilize midwives to take action to improve maternal and child health care in the country, increase knowledge on issues relating to maternal and child health and raise awareness on the importance of midwives and their roles in improving maternal health.
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Guyana again qualifies of EU assistance
GoG, EU sign €55M 10th EDF agreement
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2009
The Government of Guyana has secured €55M ($14.575B) of grant financing to pursue development objectives and to formalize the grant, Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, and the Head of the European Commission (EU) to Guyana, Geert Heikens, signed the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) country support strategy agreement today at the Ministry of Finance.
The agreement which will cover 2008 to 2013 will focus mainly on general budget support and the maintenance and rehabilitation of critical sea defence structures. To this end, an allocation of €30.2M has been allocated to macro-economic support and €14.8M is budgeted for sea defences/coastal management.
At the signing, Heikens explained that the focus of the budget support programme will be on assisting Government in completing the second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PSRP) which is expected in the next few months, and in meeting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With the coastal management project, unlike in previous cycles, the focus will not be on building sea defence structures, but rather on their maintenance and rehabilitation, he said.
Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, and Head of the EU delegation to Guyana, Geert Heikens, shake hands after the signing of the 10th EDF agreement. Staff of the Ministry of Finance, the Lands & Surveys Commission and other members of the European Union delegation look on
Minister Singh, on behalf of Government, expressed strong appreciation for the close collaborative relationship that exists between the Government of Guyana and the European Union. He explained that the EU has pioneered one of the modern modalities of delivering development assistance in the form of the general budget support programme that is flexible in meeting the needs of the country receiving the assistance.
The Finance Minister also highlighted that given the current global economic crisis, it becomes even more important to not only maintain but increase development assistance.
In addition to the signing of the overall 10th EDF agreement, two projects under the agreement were also inked. In a press release issued by the European Union delegation, it was noted, “Immediate action is now being taken to implement the new strategy by the signing of two new contracts: Development of Land Use Planning with a grant of €3M and the Institutional Strengthening of the national Authorising Officer’s (NAO) office in Guyana with a grant of €1M.”
The Land Use Planning project will be administered by the Guyana Lands & Surveys Commission (GLSC) and the previous Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Commission, Andrew Bishop, was on hand, to explain what the project seeks to achieve. It will assist Guyana is developing a sustainable, equitable and pro-poor land development strategy through the development of land use plans that will aid rational decision-making. He highlighted that the Commission has already started work on this project but was in need of resources and the assistance by the EU is both timely and valuable.
Head of the EU delegation to Guyana, Geert Heikens, (2nd from right) addresses the media at the signing of the 10th EDF agreement at the Ministry of Finance on May 6. To his left are Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, Doorga Persaud, incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Lands & Surveys Commission (GLSC), Tarachand Balgobin, Head – Project Cycle Management Unit, Ministry of Finance and Andrew Bishop, outgoing CEO of the GLSC. A member of the EU delegation is to the right of Heikens
Heikens, commenting on the Land Use Planning project, stated that the project seeks to develop Guyana’s strategic planning capabilities by providing technical assistance to the GLSC. He explained that the project will assist in the development of spatial plans which will be key tools to guide decision-makers in the future. It will also improve existing planning methodologies, raise the profile of the GLSC in the development of Guyana’s under-utilized land resource and update the mapping database. The project is expected to run for the next three years.
The EU press release noted that the main aim of the Institutional Strengthening project “is to continue building the institutional capacity of all the actors involved in the execution of the European Commission development cooperation at the various levels at the Ministry of Finance”.
Tarachand Balgobin, Head of the Project Cycle Management Unit at the Ministry of Finance chaired the proceedings that were also attended by Doorga Persaud, the incoming CEO of the Guyana Lands & Surveys Commission and other members of the European Union delegation in Guyana.
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Squatters invade aback CARICOM Secretariat
-No plans to establishment housing settlements-Minister Ali
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2009
The Ministry of Housing and Water is currently undergoing an aggressive campaign to remove squatters from the land aback the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat at Liliendaal.
Over the past week several persons had begun squatting in the area. Several of these persons said they were told by unknown sources that the land was available for occupancy and that Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali would be meeting with them today to discuss the mater.
Minister Ali in an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA) refuted these claims.
“This activity is completely illegal; we have not allocated any lot in this area. There are no plans of establishing any housing establishment within the area that the squatters invaded,” he said.
Since May fourth Ministry Officials have been clearing the area. Today they successful removed all markings on the land and persons were notified of the repercussions of squatting. The officials also advised the squatters on the correct way to obtain legal house plots.
The Minister said investigations by the Ministry have revealed that a group of mischievous persons are misleading others into the setting up squatting settlements in the area.
He said his Ministry will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that persons desist from this activity.
“We would like to tell the people out there that squatting is illegal. If you go there in the first instance we will remove you but if persons continue to go there we will have to charge them,” he said.
Minister Ali said investigations are continuing to locate the persons who motivated people to squat in this area and charges will be made against them.
The Minister also disclosed that the land in question is Government reserve and has been earmarked for several developmental purposes including the construction of an Amerindian hostel and the establishment of the Olympic Association’s head office.
The Minister noted that the section of the land in the vicinity of the CARICOM Secretariat will remain vacant for security purposes.
Over the years it has been found that many people occupying land such as Government reserves, sea defence and cemeteries has posed problems to the Housing Ministry. The Ministry is therefore urging persons to apply for house lots through the Ministry.
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$2.1M Presidential Grants presented to three Amerindian communities
… Micobie, Parabara, Karisparo benefit
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2009
Three Amerindian communities in Regions Eight and Nine on May 6, benefited from Presidential Grants totalling $2.1M that were presented by Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai.
The grants usually range from $500,000 to $1.7M and is distributed annually among the 139 Amerindian communities.
The programme provides communities with the financial resources necessary to fund projects that aim to provide the required services within their communities and help to make them more economically viable.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai with Toshaos Felix Williams, Julie Johnson and Ekufa Mewsha
Newly elected Toshao Julie Johnson of Micobie Region Eight was the recipient of a $1.2M Presidential Grant which she said will be used to construct a ‘rest house’ in Micobie. The building, she said will serve to provide accommodation for visitors to the area and will help to generate income for the community from the accommodation fees that will be charged. She said that visitors at present do not have adequate accommodation and the facility will be beneficial to the entire community.
Toshao of Karisparo also in Region Eight Felix Williams, who has been re-elected, received $886,000 for the expansion of the village shop in Karisparo. This will preclude the need for residents of that community to travel to other villages or communities to purchase supplies.
Karisparo Toshao Felix Williams recieves Presidential Grant from Minister Sukhai
The community shop that has been established in that village was funded by the Presidential Grant and according to Toshao Williams it has been very successful and residents have expressed the need to expand it.
Ekufa Mewsha, Toshao of Parabara Village Region Nine received the final part of that village’s Presidential Grant. According to Mewsha this is the third grant to Parabara which will be used to facilitate the completion of a village office in that community that is currently under construction. The office will provide accommodation for meetings of the village councillors. He said that the office will replace the benab that the leaders used for the meetings.
Toshao of Micobie Julie Johnson receives presidential grant from Minister Sukhai
Minister Sukhai who presented the grants to the Toshaos congratulated the re-elected Toshaos and said she hopes that the grants will be spent in a very accountable manner and that the projects will be sustainable and will benefit the entire community.
The Presidential Grant programme presents grants to communities to fund various projects. The projects include productive and economic projects ranging from expansion of village farms, eco lodges, building dams, clearing trails, providing kitchen facilities for school feeding programmes and cattle rearing.
Minister Sukhai explained that the applications for Presidential Grants are processed within two days through a simple process which requires that the communities present proposals and estimates for their proposed projects. She said the Ministry uses an approach that allows the community to decide on its priority project. She added that through this method the communities are able to participate in their development allows residents the leverage to have ownership of their projects.
Toshao of Parabara Ekufa Mewsha receives Presidential Grant as former Toshao of Micobie Majuna Edwards looks on
The Ministry monitors the progress of the projects and later this year will provide a report of the impact that the Presidential Grants have made on various communities.
The Ministry’s community development officers in the various regions and also the residents oversee the execution of the community projects and report to the Ministry on the progress.
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Dredging ongoing at Abary outfall - more than $100M spent on area’s drainage
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2009
Farmers of Abary, Region Five are grateful and satisfied that drainage and irrigation works, which includes dredging of the Abary outfall that have cost more than $100M, have been carried out.
Rohan Oodit said that the amount of rainfall experienced in Abary during the last rainy period was the highest and described the work of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) as excellent. He said it will allow for the free passage of water.
Once a certain amount of work is done on the outfall channel, the dredging mechanism will move to Mahaicony and Mahaica.
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud and other officials interacting with farmers during inspection of the dredging exercise at the mouth of the Abary River, Region Five
The farmers expressed their satisfaction during a visit by Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, accompanied by officials of the MMA/ADA and the NDIA to inspect the dredging being done at the Abary outfall,
Farmers had, following the 2005 flood requested that the outfall be dredged and studies were done by the Venezuelan government. These showed that the river mouths of the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary Rivers required dredging. A cost of US$5M was decided to conduct the works. However, Minister Persaud said that to date, the commitment by the Venezuelan government has not been delivered.
Notwithstanding that, last year, a strategy was derived to deal with all the outfalls since contractors were charging $30 to $40M for dredging. This, he said, would have put tremendous strain on the Ministry’s budget. Dredging equipment including a pontoon was developed and excavators acquired to carry out dredging.
NDIA’s focus has been to dredge the outfalls of the critical East Coast areas including Hope, Greenfield and Golden Grove. In preparation for the rainy season, dredging has also been extended to West Coast Demerara, Region Three.
During the December / January rains, the Ministry of Agriculture during discussion with farmers had indicated that the MMA areas would receive some amount of dredging. Contractors were approached to provide their services since NDIA only had one piece of dredging equipment. Estimates ranging from $60M to $120M were received.
Minister Persaud said the cost was prohibitive and a decision was taken to redeploy the equipment to these areas.
Dredging in progress on the outfall at the mouth of the Abary River
The dredging equipment will continue to work in the Abary areas for the next week and a half at which time the outfall will be completely dredged.
The Minister noted that this was a very critical intervention by the government in preparation for the rainy season and hoped that the work done can last beyond the year.
NDIA and MMA/ADA have been collaborating for the success of this initiative since the Abary River mouth falls within the purview of the MMA/ADA.
Minister Persaud said that farmers are vulnerable in the area and once the resources are available, steps will be taken to reduce extensive flooding.
The Agriculture Minister is hopeful that the works carried out will bring some sort of preparedness and relief to residents in the Abary area. It will also allow for better maintenance of the outfall.
The Agriculture Minister said that as a result of climate change a sense of urgency was required since its effects had impacted on the drainage systems and outfalls. He took the opportunity to indicate that another piece of dredging equipment was being constructed as emphasis is being placed on the outfall channels. Courtney Benn has been contracted to build this piece of equipment
He added that NDIA has been considering the installation of groynes and where there are new sluices; groynes are being put in place to decrease the rate of siltation.
With respect to empoldering for the Abary area, residents will be given priority, followed by others residing there temporarily, cattle owners and those living overseas with land in the area.
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Companies falling short of 60% productivity can face repossession of forest concessions – Minister Persaud
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2009
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud has indicated that Government has made it clear with respect to forest productivity that this year the expected minimum will be 60 % and companies that cannot meet this very attainable target will be in danger of having their leased concessions re-possessed. Alternatively, expired concessions will not be renewed; he told those gathered today at the Ministry of Agriculture at a ceremony for participants who have completed a Saw Doctoring course.
“If companies desire to remain in the forestry sector, they must conform to all guidelines as failure to comply will result in their dismissal from the forestry sector, he said.
He pointed to certain statements published recently in the newspapers by an individual alleging discrimination by government for not granting Unamco a renewal for its expired forest concession. He explained that Government has on several occasions made it clear that renewal of expired concessions is not an automatic process, it is based on policy that uses transparent criteria.
“Renewal is based on satisfying numerous transparent criteria, inclusive of compliance with the Guyana Forestry Commission Guidelines, and implementation of the Company’s approved business plan.”
Minister explained that the said individual after unsuccessfully trying to manage a large prime forest concession issued to Case Timbers Limited, this individual sold his interests to Malaysian investors who were also owners of Unamco.
“During the entire duration of the Unamco concession, the Malaysian company failed miserably in its efforts to implement the approved business plan. Productivity was less that 15 % of the total allowable harvest, and a promised plywood and veneer plant never materialized,” Minister Persaud said.
He said there were discussions at various levels including Presidential and that the common nature of all these discussions was Government’s concern that prime state forest was not being beneficially utilized and promised investments were not materialising.
“ It is therefore unacceptable that this individual, who was also a former Director on the GFC Board who was intimately involved in policy making, can make unsubstantiated assertions that the Government has discriminated against Unamco by not acceding to its request for renewal of a concession that was never beneficially utilized.”
Three large prime forest concessions which expired in 2007 were not renewed, he said, because of non-beneficial occupation of these concessions when they were active.
The Minister also used the opportunity to indicate Government’s intention to reallocate a part of the concession held by Unamco to community forestry organizations in Region 10 which are desperately in need of forest lands to meet the socio-economic needs of their members.
It has also signalled to Unamco’s sister company; Case Timbers Limited that unless it starts to productively engage its current Timber Sales Agreement then it can also face re-possession.
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Loophole in sawmilling, saw doctoring must be addressed urgently- Minister Persaud-in order that Guyana maintains market access
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2009
Government has been making strides in its goal to improve in its forestry operations in order that the country remains in accordance with international standards.
Independent international studies have also authenticated that Guyana’s level of conformity with the national guidelines for sustainable forestry management at the concession level is good, and Guyana has been consistently recognized as a source of legal, environmentally friendly forest produce.
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud today said that while implementation of the GFC’s collaboratively developed Standards for Processing operations is satisfactory, much more needs to be done in the area of sawmilling and saw doctoring as recovery rates are very low, and quality and consistency in the industry is marginal.
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud addressing participants at closing ceremony of the Saw Doctoring Training Programme
“For us to maintain our market access, we must address this loophole immediately,” he said.
Speaking at the completion of a Saw doctoring course which was a collaborative effort of the GFC and the Canadian Cooperation Fund at which participants were awarded certificates at the Ministry of Agriculture today, Minister Persaud said, “It is my fervent hope that this training can be complemented with at least one more such training activity possibly over a one-two month period where we can have a training of trainers to ensure that there are adequate skills to catalyze the forward movement of this segment of the sector.”
Training was done on the job and offered direct opportunities for modifying mill design and layout among others which resulted in visible and measurable improvements in quality, recovery rates and efficiency, he said.
Commissioner of Forest James Singh presenting certificate to participant, while Mr. Brett Maitland, Canadian High Commissioner (ag) and Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud
look on
Canadian High Commissioner (acting), Mr. Brett Maitland, in his address, said that this project marks another milestone in the relationship between the Canadian and Guyana Governments. He also stated that this support is a result of the commitment that the Canadian Prime Minister had made to the Caribbean region and that Canada remains committed to aiding development of the region and Guyana in particular can look forward to a continued productive relationship.
Minister Persaud also took the opportunity to let those gathered know that Government and other stakeholders have great expectations from the FPDMC with respect to the positive development of the forest industry and sector as a whole.
The Forest Products Development and Marketing Council, formally launched in December 2008 will be meeting on May 11 to inform stakeholders on its work plan for this year and to share information on key trade related issues such as the United States Lacey Act and the Legal Assurance System which gives an independent third party assurance of legality and chain of custody.
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Surgeries at Ophthalmology hospital now slated to begin in June
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2009
All theatres are ready at the National Ophthalmology Hospital, Port Mourant, and equipment installed with the exception of the laser, paving the way for surgeries to commence next month.
Minister within the Ministry of Health Dr Bheri Ramsaran told the Government Information Agency that the theatres have to be sanitized and surgeries will begin in June.
Since the hospital began screening on February 9 for various eye ailments including cataract and pterygium, over 4000 screenings were done up to the end of April.
National Ophthalmology Hospital, Port Mourant
Of a shortlist generated from screening done at the other health institutions, 352 persons have been identified for surgeries; 94 for cataract, 252 for pterygium and 6 for laser surgery. The latter category will be done at a later stage, Minister Ramsaran said.
In mid-March, the Ministry also introduced the low cost spectacle programme at the Ophthalmology Hospital and up to April month-end, over 200 spectacles were distributed.
Other Guyanese are also benefiting from this programme as it is available at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, and the West Demerara, Diamond and Linden Hospitals.
The National Ophthalmology hospital will be providing an entire range of services. This institution is expected to conduct 10,000 eye surgeries per year and will even cater for persons from neighbouring countries.
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About 6,000 Guyanese patients benefited from Mission Miracle programme – final batch returns home
Georgetown, GINA, May 6, 2009
The Guyana/Cuba ‘Mission Miracle’ programme has concluded as the final batch of beneficiaries returned after successfully completing eye surgeries on the Spanish speaking island.
The 79th batch of 50 arrived at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Timehri, today after a three-week stay in Cuba bringing the total number of Guyanese to benefit from surgeries to about 6,000. Among the types of surgeries done were retinitis pigmentosa, cataract and ptygerium,
Mission Miracle has touched all population points in the country as persons from all the administrative regions have benefited, including Amerindians. All patients who travelled to Cuba were granted a stipend by the Guyana Government.
The last batch of Mission Miracle Patients at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport
The programme which commenced in 2006 following an agreement sealed by Presidents Bharrat Jagdeo and his Cuban counterpart Dr Fidel Castro when the Guyanese Leader visited, has restored the vision of thousands of Guyanese and people across the Caribbean.
During an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), patients expressed their gratitude to the Governments of Guyana and Cuba for their generosity.
Lynette Seyad, of Meten-meer-Zorg West Coast Demerara who underwent surgery for ptygerium said that the accommodation and service she received while in Cuba were excellent.
“I will like to thank the Governments of Guyana and Cuba for everything that they have done for me.”
Meanwhile, David Roberts of Kwakwani said that operations were conducted on both of his eyes for cataract and glaucoma. He too, praised the Cubans for their hospitality.
“I am seeing, writing, I never used to see anything at all and now I can see,” he said.
The batch of patients was selected based on screening done at the Leonora, Suddie, Diamond and Mahaicony Diagnostic and treatment centers and the Linden, New Amsterdam and Georgetown Hospitals.
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