Nurses from 118th batch still to receive pay

Jul 25, 2010 News

Some seven months after successfully completing their examinations at the Georgetown School of Nursing, several nurses from the 118th batch are still to be paid salaries.
The nurses have already been attached to hospitals around the country.
Kaieteur News understands that while those at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) are getting their salaries, those posted to Regional hospitals are being forced to subsist on their monthly $16,000 stipend.
There are conflicting reports as to what is responsible for this delay.
At the Diamond Diagnostic Centre (now called the East Bank Demerara Regional Hospital), nurses were reportedly told by one health official that the official had no idea when the nurses would be paid.
The nurses were posted to the Diagnostic Centre in April and were reportedly told that they would be appointed.
In a memo seen by Kaieteur News, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Hydar Ally, had asked the Director of the Region Four Regional Executive Officer to appoint a nurse to work at the Diagnostic Centre.
In response, the hospital’s Medical Director had written to the Regional Executive Officer, asking for particulars of the nurse’s contract.
He is reportedly still awaiting a response.
A Public Service official told Kaieteur News that even though the nurses were successful at their exams, they have to be appointed by the Public Services Commission (PSC).
“Until you are appointed by the Public Service Commission, then and only then are you deemed to be a nurse. They have not been appointed by the Commission yet.”
The official also stated that like all public servants, the nurses have to go through a probation period.
However, there seems to be no stipulated period for this probation. Meanwhile, the officials said that the issue of the nurses’ salaries is being addressed.

Youth Choice Guyana holds HIV/AIDS Outreach Programme

Youth Choice Guyana has completed yet another successful outreach programme, this time in the Fairview Community which lies in Region Eight.
The outreach programme ran from June 26 to July 4 and saw the YCG members offering Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) for HIV/AIDS to the residents of the community. Staffers at Iwokrama and logging concession within an eight mile radius also benefitted from the group’s efforts.

A Fairview resident gets herself tested

Aside from Voluntary Counselling and Testing, the group also offered Random Blood Sugar testing as well as sessions on Conflict and Alternative Dispute Resolution.
The Conflict Resolution sessions were done by Ms. Chelauna Providence who is a United Nations volunteer attached to YCG. She said that these sessions are especially pertinent in areas such as these where persons are somewhat cut off from others and conflicts tend to arise easily. The group consisted of Ms. Providence, Mr. Cleazell Gray, the VCT Co-ordinator and two other VCT counselors. Approximately 144 persons were able to take advantage of the team’s offers.
Their efforts, according to Ms. Providence, were to provide the groundwork for another volunteer visit, this time from an international team.
On this trip the group was also able to take up dental and blood sugar testing kits for the residents of the community that were donated by Geddes Grant.
The group is currently out in the field, having left on Friday last to return to Georgetown on Thursday.
Out in the fields they will be working with the residents of Kaibaripai on the Orinduik River in Region Eight.

Mother of triplets receives hampers from Cheekies

ANSA McAL Trading Limited has presented three large gift hampers containing Cheekies Cloth Soft diapers and Cheekies growth charts to the latest mother of triplets in Guyana.
Ms. Tricia Persaud, 22, of Woodly Park, West Coast Berbice, was presented with the hampers on Friday at the Georgetown Public Hospital. The presentation was made by Cheekies Brands Manager, Marco Kreuter.
This gesture follows the birth of her three babies late Tuesday night. The woman gave birth to the first baby in the car while on her way to the hospital. The other two followed shortly in the parking lot of the Georgetown Public Hospital.
All three babies are boys and weighed between 1 kg 100 grams to 1kg 150 grams at the time of birth. Although all three of them are still in the incubators at the Hospital they are fit as a fiddle, says the mother.

Brands Manager Mr. Kreuter was delighted at being able to support a young mother in this time of special need. Ms. Persaud in turn expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Kreuter on behalf of her entire family.