Vagrants to benefit significantly from collaborative programme

Aug 26, 2008 News

The Ministry of Health will soon be extending its public health care and mental health services as part of a collaborative programme set to eliminate the presence of vagrants on the streets of Georgetown.
According to Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy, the programme will see the concerted efforts of officials at both the Health and Human Services Ministries being combined with that of officials at the City Council.
Based on deliberations, the minister said, it was decided that the City Council will be tasked with locating the vagrants and handing them over to the Ministry of Health.
At this point, Minister Ramsammy said, the ministry will avail medical attention and psychiatric treatment to the vagrants as the need arises.
Those found to be mentally disturbed will be transported to the Psychiatric Hospital at Canje, where they will be admitted.
The minister said his ministry is currently offering limited assistance to vagrants.
But since the ministry is challenged for space, a situation which was compounded by the recent razing of the Georgetown Public Hospital’s Psychiatric Wards, the minister said that the mental facility would only be able to accommodate patients for a limited time.
Dr Ramsammy pointed out that, quite often, after being treated and released, many vagrants “end up right back on the streets.”
As a result, he said, the collaboration will see the efforts of the Human Services Ministry coming into play, where another facility will be made available to house the discharged homeless persons.
Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand, who initially spoke of the anticipated programme about one week ago, had pointed out that the collaborative effort was at no point intended to be for Carifesta X.
In fact, she disclosed, the true intent is to simply rid the streets of homeless persons.
She pointed out that the problem of homeless people is one that occurs globally, and therefore it is not common to Guyana alone.
The minister disclosed, though, that while her ministry will be tasked with finding the final accommodation for the vagrants, the efforts may be challenged by the fact that some vagrants may prefer to remain on the streets.
However, she related that there is no lack of available accommodation for the homeless, even as she disclosed that the Night Shelter and the Dharm Shala are among the entities that have more than adequate room for them.
She assured that the Night Shelter has the capacity to accommodate an additional 25 persons, adding that, at the moment, the entity, which comes under the purview of her ministry, is home to about 120 persons, some of whom are even able to work and support themselves.
Similarly, the Dharm Shala, which offers accommodation to about 45 persons, has the capacity to house a few more, should the need arise, she said.
The collaborative effort is expected to ensure that an enforcement process is activated to get the vagrants off the streets and guarantee that they do not return there.

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Vagrants to benefit significantly from collaborative programme

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