Recognising Chris Ram’s Achievements

Jul 16, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,
In a letter which appeared in KN on July 10, Dr. Mark Devonish extended his congratulations to Chartered Accountant/Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram on the completion of his Master’s Degree in the fields of oil and gas from Reading University in the UK.
I would like to concur with the sentiments expressed by Dr. Devonish as I consider Chris Ram an extraordinary person who apart from being a successful chartered accountant for most of his life, obtained at an advanced age considered by many of us, an Attorney-at-law degree from the University of the West Indies and now a higher degree in the fields of oil and gas from an accredited UK University.
Chris Ram has in the past presented many objective and challenging discourses on varied issues affecting the well-being of Guyana and its people. I hope that with his newly acquired knowledge he will be able to suggest social and economic reforms for Guyana in meaningful ways as to how the wealth from recently discovered oil/gas off Guyana’s coast could be equitably obtained from the developers for fair distribution to all Guyanese while in the process exposing those elites who have and are gearing themselves to receive unearned income and privilege from development of the industry.
I have no doubt, also, that he was able to acquire expertise as to how policies and innovations could be applied to utilize the windfall from the industry to encourage employment and job creation thereby getting Guyanese out of their feelings of worthlessness. The daily news of murders, suicides and robberies in the country clearly bear this out.
In his letter, Dr. Devonish claimed that Nottingham University is the only institution in the UK with a hospital housing its medical school on campus.
He is probably unaware of University College Hospital with its medical school on the Gower Street complex of the University of London. This University also has other hospitals with medical schools on their campuses.
The qualifications for consultants and experts are generally laid down by a country’s licensing authority and professional bodies. In the UK, a medical doctor has to have a first degree (MBBS) followed by professional certification (MRCP/FRCS, etc.) in a specialized field conferred by the Medical Board/Profession before becoming a consultant or is permitted to carry-out certain medical procedures.
Board certification generally requires four years plus of residency (training) in a Medical Board approved hospital and passing of the relevant professional examinations.
Other professions have their own requirements for consultants. The requirements for being an expert are determined by education, training and work experience in narrow fields of specialization.
Experts are usually designated based on their experiences and where applicable satisfying local professional requirements. In Guyana, the medical schools have no accreditation and engineers do not need a license to practice. Hence the many cases of malpractices in Guyana by practitioners in varied professions.
Finally, I have never met Dr. Devonish but I have read his many letters on various topics in KN and other local papers. I was intrigued by his accomplishments and would like to learn more about his achievements and the help (if any) he received on his way up the ladder, as I happen to share many of his early life experiences and would like to know more about the opportunities which were available to him and which he successfully utilized.
Yours truly,
Charles Sohan

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