The inequality that exists in Guyana

Jun 15, 2018 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Please permit me to extend my sincere condolences to the family of the Beyoncé Ross, the 15 year old champion cyclist.
Mr. Editor, I do wish to use this letter to comment on the inequalities in Guyana. I saw in the media that the Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, was admitted to GPHC with a little chest pain. I am sure she was admitted to Intensive Care Unit, which was clearly not medically indicated. I also read that she is scheduled to travel overseas for further medical treatment. I am sure the taxpayers will foot the bill.
Compare and contrast that to 15 year old Ms. Ross. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor three months ago and had to suffer in Guyana. I am no neurosurgeon, so I do not know the prognosis. What I do know is that if she had any political connection with any of the political parties she would have been flown overseas.
What this young lady has done for Guyana is much more than what any of our politicians has done for this country. It is inequalities like this that gets me angry; it is inequalities like this that made me hate Guyana; and it is inequalities like this that make me describe Guyana as a wasteland.
I was told that Jagdeo had a little diarrhoea and was immediately flown overseas, a trip paid for by the taxpayers. The public and private death chamber hospitals were not good enough to handle Jagdeo’s faeces.
Moses Nagamottoo was also flown overseas, a trip paid for by the taxpayers. Same with Leslie Ramsammy. Same with Granger.
And the comedy continues. Ms. Ross was diagnosed brain dead and was placed on life support. In layman terms, she was dead. Why place her on life support? What were they hoping to achieve? Why give the family unnecessary suffering and false hope?
They completely missed the boat. They waited three months to act. Ms. Ross had hydrocephalus (fluid around the brain) and likely her brain was forced down into the spine from the increase pressure from the fluid. That’s terminal. Nothing could have been done at that stage.
Placing her on life support was a complete waste of time. The only circumstance that would indicate a patient like that going on life support was if there was an organ donor. Time is needed to harvest the organs.
What Ms. Ross needed was to be placed in a hospice and not intensive care. Placing her in intensive care with zero chance of survival was cruel to her and her family.
It is this sort of inequality I had experienced as a dirt poor orphan that made me develop such a dislike for Guyana. There were rules for the poor and rules for the rich. I will tell you two experiences I had. I was once part of a Queen’s College WhatsApp group. One of my former schoolmates placed on the forum the case where 106 candidates wrote the driving theory examination and 207 passed.
Some of my privileged former QC buddies started to boast that when they were 15 years old, their parents brought home their licences and advised them to drive carefully. No theory test was done. No driving test was done.
Compare that with my experiences. The police would harass poor young innocent ghetto youths every day. That’s what I saw. That’s what I experienced. No privileges for us from the police. When I highlighted this inequality, many saw it as me having an issue with rich people. I don’t. I have a problem with inequality.
Also in that very group, one of my former school mates who resides in Canada had what we all believed was racial discrimination. My comment was that as a black man in a predominantly white country, these things happen all the time but it is important to challenge them in an intelligent and dignified way.
My former school mates took umbrage to people of his ilk being called black people. They would wish to be characterised as brown people. Ridiculous nonsense. Next time they pass through JFK airport and they are stopped for ‘special treatment’, they should say we are not black, we are brown. Let’s see how far that will get them. Fools.
Mohandas Gandhi tried similar tactics when he was in South Africa. He said he is not black, he is brown. They should find out what was the outcome of his argument. Inequalities and racial tension will continue to destroy Guyana with this sort of third world mentality.
Guyana has a far way to go in terms of inequality. The experiences of the rich are different from the experiences of the poor. I feel for Ms. Ross’ parents and brothers. I sympathise with them. It would be interesting to get their opinions on Guyana.
I am quite sure they will have similar opinions to mine. They will see Guyana as a wasteland that only the rich and politically affiliated enjoy.
Regards
Dr. Mark Devonish MBBS MSc MRCP(UK)

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