CMO amplifies importance of DNA lab

Oct 27, 2012 News

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…as efforts are made to address gender health inequities

Collaboration between the proposed Police Forensic Laboratory and the health sector will be inevitable if some criminal matters are to be comprehensively addressed. This alliance was referred to by the country’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, as he pronounced on the need for a plan to help reduce gender-based health inequities that exist in Guyana.
He alluded to the need for Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) testing, which according to him, is not only useful but necessary to solve some crimes and by extension bring perpetrators to justice and allow victims to be vindicated.
The Medical Officer was at the time attending a stakeholder’s consultation forum spearheaded by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), at the Ocean View International Hotel, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

According to Dr. Persaud, “We hope that we can introduce DNA testing soon; I think this has always been a big, big challenge and I think we can, once we put all of our heads together, and are able to source the resources that are necessary to be able to provide that…”
He made reference to the fact that Government has been advancing its plans to develop the Forensic Laboratory which, he said, will work closely with the health care system. He said that we would really like to see this happen across the country, and not just at the Georgetown Public Hospital, so that we can provide the basis for which cases can be addressed comprehensively.”
He said too, that the Ministry of Health is looking within the sector to address a number of other emerging issues with regards to access to health care and whether there are existing barriers. He made reference to the attitude and practices that are at times exhibited towards pregnant teenage girls pointing out that sometimes some health professionals are guilty of “not being welcoming to such persons. We would like to change that and we are saying once people present themselves for service they must be able to access an excellent and quality service.”
Thursday’s consultation forum represented the second of two sets of activities engaged by the Ministry of Health and PAHO/WHO, aimed at looking at how gender health issues can be incorporated in the local Health Sector Strategy. The Strategy, which will be entitled ‘Health Vision 2020’, is currently being developed.
The health sector’s most recent strategy which was slated to span a period 2008-2012 will expire at the end of this year. It is for this reason, Dr. Persaud said, that the efforts are being made by the Health Ministry to work very astutely to get the new strategy prepared and ready for the New Year.
“We hope to address some of our critical areas and also to include gender and cultural diversity as well. There are obviously some areas of weaknesses that came up in the assessment of our previous strategies for example, the health services that we offer to victims of violence and rape and other disparities that exist in our society,” the Chief Officer added.
The new strategy, according to him, will seek to ensure that all of the health sector’s emergency units are able to address the concerns of persons who are victims of all such incidents that warrant health care such as the importance of collecting the relevant evidence like the testing.
The opening of the consultation forum yesterday saw remarks being delivered by a number of officials including PAHO/WHO Country Representative, Dr. Beverley Barnett; Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Jennifer Webster and Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran.
According to Dr. Ramsaran, “By us not providing service to our people because of our beliefs, cultures and practices we sometimes condemn such persons to a life of poverty and a vicious cycle.”
“So we would really like to see at the Ministry of Health that we incorporate in a major way these issues relating to gender, sexual violence and any disparities that exist among people in Guyana.”
The mission of the strategy, according to Dr. Persaud, is to lay the ground work to ensure that “we have that high quality of service that is provided to all Guyanese without fair or favour regardless of gender, sexual orientation, religious or cultural beliefs or political affiliations…once you interface with the health sector a quality of care will be administered.”
The forum, which saw representation from all of the United Nations agencies with a presence in Guyana, the Education and Human Services Ministries as well as a number of Regional Health officers and advocacy organisations, was dominated by women.
A follow-up consultation will be held in November which will see the attendance of Regional representatives and members of Health Committees of all 10 administrative regions.
This forum, Dr. Persaud said, will set the stage for a larger stakeholder forum which is expected to even have the attendance of the media.

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