Health care vastly improved – almost all Amerindian communities now have access
Written by Gina Webmasters, Published in News, A GINA feature - February 28, 2015, Source - GINA
The provision of basic health care needs is essential to the development of any nation and more so its people, as a healthy population engenders productivity. It is therefore important that a government invests in necessary infrastructure to ensure its citizens benefit from care when needed, and the PPP/C administration has over the years been investing heavily in the health sector,
Community Health Worker Stephen Frederick attending to a baby at the Nappi Health Centre
Guyana’s indigenous have not been left out of the picture; a decision was taken to equip almost every hinterland community with the basic health services needed.
In Parishara, Hiowa, Semonie, Katoka, Yupukari, Kaicumbay and Quatata all in Rupununi, Region Nine, these communities, each has nestled within a health hut with a trained and dedicated Community Health Worker (CHW).
A trained CHW, Stephen Frederick, has served and continues to serve the village of Nappi, which is home to 636 people. Frederick said he received training from the Ministry of Health in 1998 and ever since, he has been more than pleased to serve his fellow villagers.
Fredericks who won the CHW of the year award in 2008 attends to villagers suffering from various common complaints, including common cold, fever, worm infestation, skin rash, and diarrhoea, among others.
Kato hospital, Region Eight
He said that based on the training he has received; his main focus continues to be in the area of primary prevention, health promotion and health education.
Since he hasn’t been equipped with more advanced medical training when he is confronted with a complicated case, he makes urgent referrals to the Lethem Hospital which is located 25 miles from Nappi.
Frederick said, thanks to a generous donation from the Government of Guyana, the village has the service of a minibus which also makes its work easier. In some instances, Frederick is forced to make house calls to ailing patients who are immobile.
“Before we never had things like this, we use to go on bicycle in case of emergency and ride out to Lethem and by the time we get out the patient gets worse, but right now things are better.”
Lethem Hospital, Region Nine
This humble servant as he refers to himself said he works with a schedule; children’s clinic on Mondays, ante-natal clinic on Tuesdays, Family planning clinic on Wednesdays, Health talks in the community and schools on Thursday and home visits on Fridays.
The home health talks, Frederick said are aimed at educating his villagers on early detection of basic health complaints, prevention, and treatment.
The Nappi health hut is also equipped with a radio transmission set which makes communication easy for the community and the CHW in the event of an emergency.
Over at Hiowa, another Amerindian community, Alexander Domingo shoulders the task of providing basic health care to his fellow villagers.
Maikwak Health Post, Region Eight
He too was privileged to receive training under the Ministry of Health to serve his community. However, with a little more advanced training and upgraded equipment, Domingo said the health facility in his community was recently upgraded from a health hut to a health centre.
From time to time, he renders his services to residents of surrounding communities including Parishara even though these communities have their respective health huts.
Unlike the other two health facilities, Domingo said he is equipped and trained to conduct malaria smears and provides results and medication in a timely manner.
Waramadong Health Post, Region Seven
Now with better health care services readily available in these communities, the citizens are much more at ease, and can go about their daily routine with one less thing to worry about.
Under this current administration almost every Amerindian community has access to basic health care whether via a health hut, health centre or a hospital. Most of these are staffed by Amerindians who underwent training provided through the Ministry of Health and have returned to serve their communities.
The newly built, multi-million dollar hospitals at Mabaruma, Kumaka, Lethem, Bartica, Kamarang, Matthews Ridge and Port Kaituma are a few of the modern institutions built to offer a wider range of health care services to Guyanese in hinterland communities.
Yupukari Health Post, Region Nine
In the case of Port Kaituma, a new hospital is currently under construction to serve the Matakari sub - district, Region One, Barima -Waini.
Amerindians can now access quality health care services in those regions, precluding the need to travel to Georgetown to do so.