Horror at Industrial Site Day Care Centre

May 04, 2013 News

Nearly 80 turned away due to ‘unsanitary conditions’

A City-controlled Day Care Centre was forced to close its door on Thursday to some 80 children, after the facility remained flooded over the past two weeks and became infested with frogs and cockroaches.
The Ruimveldt Industrial Site Day Care Centre which has been in operation for the past 17 years is controlled by the Georgetown Municipality.
Yesterday, union officials were accusing the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) of not paying attention to the facility despite several complaints.
Dale Beresford, President of Guyana Local Government Officers Union, said that the facility has been in that condition for the past two weeks and nothing is being done although complaints were made to the Town Clerk, and an inspection was carried out last week.
“We have staged a sit-in to protest the unsanitary and unsafe working conditions of the health care providers. Two weeks ago we brought it to the attention of the Town Clerk and she came and saw the conditions and yet nothing was done,” Beresford stressed.
He explained that despite the town clerk’s promise to look into the matter, nothing was done. “We will not allow our workers to work under this condition. There is plenty water-borne disease and electrical hazard, and the children can be affected.”
Yesterday, water was seen dripping from the electrical wire in the ceiling, the floor was flooded and according to Beresford, he caught two frogs in the water which has been trapped in the building for two weeks.
The kitchen was completely flooded, the fridge was moved from its original location and placed higher so that it wouldn’t be damaged. The area where the toddlers would normally be was also flooded.
“The water is in the kitchen area, the sick bay, the toddlers’ quarters and everywhere. It’s contaminated, there is an infestation of mosquitoes, there is poor lighting conditions and the tiles are raised because it is soaked in water,” the union’s President explained.
A busload of children from another Day Care Centre who wanted to tour the facility yesterday was turned away because of its “unsanitary and unsafe condition.”
This publication called the Town Clerk’s office for a comment but was told that she was in a meeting.

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