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Guyana opens doors of border hospitals to Venezuelans
Despite cold bilateral relations between Guyana and Venezuela, this country is not willing to turn back its neighbours when they come knocking for help.
The situation in one of Venezuela’s hospitals as is being reported.
In fact, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, says the matter came up this week during the Cabinet meeting of Ministers.
Venezuelans and Guyanese who live in that Spanish-speaking, oil-rich country have been trekking to border areas in the Barima/Waini area, Region One, to health facilities there.
In recent weeks, 368 Venezuelans have received treatment for malaria.
Up to 1,000 persons, among them Guyanese, would have come from Venezuela for treatment, Harmon said.
There are thousands of Guyanese who moved over to Venezuela when that country was booming. However, in recent years, the country has fallen on hard times, after world prices for oil fell and a dependent Venezuela saw runaway inflation and shortages of basic items.
There have been massive protests and internal struggles, with violent clashes between opposition forces and the Nicolas Maduro-led administration.
Many of the hospitals there, like its empty supermarket shelves, are without drugs. Citizens have been scrambling in garbage for food, it has been reported.
Scores of Guyanese families living there for years have returned home, as the situation continues to deteriorate.
According to Harmon yesterday, on Tuesday, Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, briefed Cabinet that the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have alerted of measles outbreaks in Venezuela and Bolivia.
It was advised that Guyana put systems in place to increase surveillance and ensure adequate vaccination to prevent the spread of these diseases, Minister Harmon disclosed.
It was during that Cabinet meeting also, that Lawrence made the disclosure of the Venezuelans crossing for medical care in Guyana.
“We feel that this is part of our international humanitarian effort and Cabinet advised that the Ministry of Health ensure that assistance be given to all those persons, be they Venezuelans or Guyanese living in Venezuela, who report to the medical facilities for help, as this is a humanitarian issue which we are very happy to be part of.”
Harmon disclosed that there are adequate controls that screen Venezuelans coming here, as an identification document has to be shown, as well as reasons for the visit.
Harmon emphasised that Venezuelans are human beings too, and in any case, Guyana is signatory to international treaties which mandate that it must render humanitarian help when the situation arises.
Guyanese have been migrating to all over the world, with thousands of them also living in St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, which was ravaged by the deadly Hurricane Irma earlier this week.
With regard to Venezuela, that country had halted a lucrative rice-for-oil deal after Guyana discovered oil in its waters in 2015. Venezuela claimed those waters. Guyana has complained to the United Nations. However, Guyana is still doing trade with that neighbouring country, as several tonnes of rice are reportedly going there monthly.
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Excellent news about helping sick Bolivarians who need all the help they can get as the international community prays for the refime to come to its senses and free the people to grow food and develop the petroleum industry so rich in potential.