Guyana Watch returns for its 20th medical outreach programme

Jul 22, 2012 News

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Guyana Watch has brought its 20th batch of medical professionals to Guyana and yesterday, they began the first of their countrywide outreaches at the Patentia Secondary School.
Guyana Watch is a team of local and overseas-based Guyanese, who over the years, has managed to attract specialist medical professionals to come to Guyana to provide free medical care for Guyanese.
This year 10 medical doctors, 15 support staff, three dentists and one pharmacist have come to Guyana.
President of Guyana Watch, Tony Yassin, said, “We started at a time when things were pretty rough and there was a need for medical intervention and people needed a lot of help in their villages and in various parts of the outreaches of Guyana. Today we still do the same thing.”
He said that they are not a solution to health problems in the country but they come and give some good advice and proper medication and try to see how they can help to make some improvement in Guyana
Most common illness
According to Yassin, fungus is quite prevalent in Guyana. He said, “Fungus problems are quite prevalent in Guyana and almost everybody has high blood pressure or diabetes here. We try to do our best to help those things. We give them a supply of medication for three to nine months.”
Most of the people, who visited the clinic yesterday, were either affected with the flu, cough, fever, high blood pressure and high blood sugar.
Yassin said that the visiting team brought medication for flu, coughs, cold for children and a significant quantity of vitamins for children and adults.
Persons were yesterday advised on how they should take their medication. “A lot of medical counselling- how they should use their medication and how to take care of themselves. Our women have a lot of issues and we let our doctors be aware of that and at least try to address those issues so that they can take care of that,” Yassin said.
Doctors and Dentist
Andrea Maritato, a general practitioner has been in the medical field for the past 10 years. She said that although this is her first visit to Guyana, she has always wanted to come and assist the people here.
So far, she said, she has seen persons who were suffering from fever, coughs, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. “I like helping people and that is why I am here. I wanted to come since last year and the year before but my job stopped me from coming.”
Melissa Vega and her husband, Roy, have been attending to the kids. This is their third year here in Guyana. According to the Vegas, most children are suffering with rash and fever.
Reddy Chiran, a dentist for 20 years said that this is his seventh visit to Guyana. According to him, most persons have rotten teeth, while some required cleaning and filling. He said that he enjoys working here in Guyana and helping the people.
Patient’s reactions
A number of persons from various parts of Patentia on the West Bank of Demerara, who were treated on the first full day of the outreach at Patentia Secondary School yesterday, said that they are most thankful for the fact that the services that they received were free of cost since it is very costly to receive quality treatment from public facilities.
They explained that the waiting time was extremely short as compared to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).  “It is normal to have to wait to receive medical attention but this was really fast and when you leave you feel like you were well taken care of.”
An elderly man reiterated that he is extremely thankful for the outreach not only for him but for other elderly folks since they are all pensioners who cannot afford to seek quality care.

A number of young people explained that they are thankful for the medical treatment they received. This was complemented with medical advice on how to maintain a healthy life style. “You don’t have to be sick to go to the doctor; a medical check up is always good”
A number of persons explained that yesterday was not the first time that they received medical assistance from the Guyana Watch Team and the reason for them to keep going back every time the team is in the community  is because they feel comfortable with the doctors.
Today, the medical clinics are scheduled to be at the Timehri Primary School to offer its services to the residents of Timehri and the surrounding communities including Santa Mission and Kuru Kuru.
Tomorrow, residents of St. Cuthbert’s Mission and other communities in the Mahaica River can visit the St. Cuthbert’s Mission Primary school and meet the team.
The team will then visit the Tain Primary School on Wednesday, followed by the Bath Settlement Primary School on Thursday.
During its mission here last year the team saw in excess of 2,500 patients with various complaints. The team also dispensed drugs for ailments that included fungal infections, common colds, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Follow up treatment was also given to ten persons who were identified for overseas treatment.

Guyana Watch Inc.
The organization has also been responsible for sending approximately 20 patients
for heart surgery overseas and financially assist in much needed medical interventions in Guyana.
In 1998, Guyana Watch Inc. (GWI) brought in an Ophthalmology team and completed 58 cataract surgeries in Guyana. It has since sponsored many corrective and other eye surgeries in Guyana and overseas.
In Education, it built a state of the art 32-computer work station laboratory at the University of Guyana Berbice Campus along with computer laboratories in some schools.
Over the last four years, the organization began to pay for the air travel and hotel stay for the medical doctors.

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