Wakapoa Residents appeal for improved healthcare

Feb 12, 2021 News

Residents of Wakapoa as they expressed their concerns during the last community outreach

Kaieteur News – The residents of Wakapoa, Lower Pomeroon, are making several applications to the Government of Guyana, for an improved healthcare system within their Indigenous community. Their appeals were made earlier this week, during a two-day outreach by a high level Regional Team to the community.
Wakapoa is an Arawak village, located on the western bank of the Pomeroon River, almost two miles from the river’s mouth. The community consists of multiple islands, with a combined population of over two thousand residents.
During the recent outreach to Wakapoa, six community meetings were held in various locations within the community. Meetings were held with the Toshao, members of the Wakapoa Village Council and residents in Massarie, Yarashirima, Myrie, Mora, Curimeru, School Island and Koria. Residents appealed to the visiting team for the replacement of their resident doctor, and for a health boat.
According to residents, the community’s resident doctor was reassigned in 2019, leaving the community without key medical services. The community’s Toshao, Mr. Lloyd Pereira, told Kaieteur News that it takes a significant sum of cash to travel to Charity in the event of a medical emergency. “One gentleman told me that he once had to pay a boat $30,000 for a health emergency. If we had the resident doctor here that resident would not have had to incur that heavy expense,” said the Toshao.
He also told Kaieteur News that the doctor would also extend services to communities in the Lower Pomeroon, and even Akawini in the Upper Pomeroon.
The Regional Democratic Council has indicated that the matter will be addressed. During the Council’s statutory meeting on last Wednesday, the council’s clerk, Devenand Ramdatt, said that it is quite unfair that the RDC was overlooked during the decision to have the doctor reassigned. The Regional Chairman, Vilma Da Silva, and Chair of the Health Committee, Arnold Adams, also shared similar sentiments.
The RDC indicated that it is in the process of lobbying with the Ministry of Public Health, in an effort to have the resident doctor reassigned to Wakapoa.

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