It’s very alarming that these businesses get away with poor public health practices

Jun 28, 2018 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Permit me to express my frustration that I normally experience while purchasing items at established business places.
Being a Councillor for the Region Four Regional Democratic Council, for which I hold the vice chairmanship of the Public Health Committee, I find it very alarming that businesses in the city get away with poor public health practices, and we, the consumers, have to suffer at the hands of these uncaring and self-centred proprietors.
The time has come, in my opinion, for the government agencies to go after these businesses, especially the huge, established ones in the city.
I recall the assertion of the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Karen Boyle – while she was addressing a packed audience at the Grand Coastal Hotel, East Coast Demerara, which comprised manufacturers and businesses in general – that it is imperative for business not to put greed before the health and well-being of Guyanese,.
Moreover, she stressed that businesses must not only focus on making a profit while jeopardizing the consumers with their lack of following prescribed practices.
It’s time for us to start building bridges between public health and businesses.
How can we do this? Both the Consumer Protection Agency and the Ministry of Public Health can work on this jointly. It is imperative for companies and businesses to have or to develop a public health footprint. What do I mean by public footprint? What that concept really means is every company, corporation, or business product and policy, has the potential to help or hurt, by their effects on consumers – not only the consumers, but their own employees, communities and their environment therein.
In closing, if companies or businesses can do a little more than what is legally required, to go above and beyond the compliance, it can actually attract more consumers and help their brand to become more popular.
Yours Sincerely,
Ivan Bentham
Councillor
Regional Democratic Council
Region Four (4)

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