Siparuta evolving – Nokta commissions $10M health centre
Georgetown , GINA, November 18, 2004
Residents of Siparuta will soon benefit from improved health care services in their community.
Yesterday, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Harripersaud Nokta commissioned the village's $10.9M health centre.
Among the services to be offered is maternal delivery. Prior to this facility, the Community Health Worker Yonette Stass and Genevieve Qualio, a senior resident, performed home deliveries as the health centre operated out of the abandoned primary school library.
The initiative emanated from the residents' request to have their own health centre and the Government's commitment to ensuring improved and accessible health care services in Guyana .
Kadim Bacchus, Region Six Vice Chairman, said the Region treated the project as a number one priority as “health is the wealth of the nation.”
The Government of Guyana, the Caribbean Development Bank, and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), funded the project and the Basic Needs Trust Fund executed the project.
At present only infant clinics are held at the health centre. According to the CHW, it should become fully operational next year.
She said the main illnesses are scabies common cold and diarrhea. However, she noted that there have not been any recent cases of diarrhea.
Minister Nokta recalled his first visit to the community when there were no proper facilities. A few years ago Government provided a new nursery school, and a multi-purpose centre and community ground.
“Now this is another dream come true,” he said.
He noted that the Government programme for development in the country emphasizes human development and ensuring good health care services is one area of emphasis. Other key areas include education and communication.
To this end, he said, plans are in train to break the communications barrier from far-flung communities, including Siparuta. Already there is a telephone pre-paid call centre at Orealla, the main village, a few miles away.
Residents thanked the Government and the other funding agencies for providing the facility. They said it was difficult and costly at times when there were serious cases that had to be referred to the Orealla Health Centre.
Orealla is about 20 -25 minutes driving in a 75 horsepower engine boat from Siparuta.
Bacchus and Regional Executive Officer, Nankishore Persaud, urged residents to use the facility effectively and to ensure it is properly maintained.
Mr. Bacchus encouraged the Village Council of Orealla/Siparuta to effectively manage and use its revenue and to ensure that the new health centre at Siparuta benefits from it for maintenance and upgrading.
The building is supplied with solar power, and is also equipped with a 5,000 watt generator as a back-up mechanism.
Clarence Alpin, a senior resident and a rural constable donated the plot of land for the health centre.
“I see that the community is getting bigger and so I though it best to contribute this plot of land,” he said.
During his presentation, Minister Nokta called on parents to ensure that their children have a proper education, pointing out that Government is investing significantly in this sector and children need to capitalize on this.
“Gone are the days when our young people can be seen at the riverside and with rods and cutlasses on the farms,” he said.
“There is no barrier to Amerindian children excelling in education,” he added, noting the many Amerindians attend higher learning institutions and those who are overseas benefit from Government scholarships.
Following the commissioning of the health centre, Minister Nokta met with residents to look at their problems and to determine possible assistance and solutions.
Matters pertaining to education, potable water and additional health sector staff came up at the meeting.
Meanwhile, residents are deeply concerned about potable water in the village. At present their main sources of water are from the river and rainfall. They say that while the river water had not had any negative impact on residents, soon a bauxite company will begin operations nearby and this could make the water unsafe.
Minister Nokta assured that these will be discussed, along with the possibility of a radio set next year.
Siparuta is the satellite village of Orealla , the only Amerindian community in Region Six. Siparuta has a population of about 200.
According to Genevieve Qualio, the community was established in 1944 when a Catholic missionary, Paul Locus, settled in the village, along with a family from Washabo, a Suriname border Village.
The Alpin family then settled there in 1949 and the population began to rise as people from nearby Orealla and other communities started residing in the village.
Ms. Qualio recalled, “Siparuta did not have anything. We did not have a school, we did not have a health centre, nothing. We had to paddle to Orealla for everything. Or fish and hunt.”
James Domingo said that the community depends largely on logging. But the woods are being depleted. This is contributing to unemployment. On the developmental front, he said Siparuta is a transformed community. It offers the main social services.
Minister Nokta during his meeting pointed to the need for diversification in production for sustainable development.
According to Alpin, the name of the village was taken from an Arawak word, Shiborudo. This means ‘red crab' which was once found in abundance in a creek in the village.
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