Selfless doctors volunteer time, expertise to cater to health care needs of Lindeners

Jul 03, 2022 News

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…as Guyana Cancer Society, Guyana Medical Relief continue outreach initiative

By Shervin Belgrave

Without the provision of free health services, accessing health care for some people would be an unattainable luxury, given the prohibitive cost of some treatment.
This is true across the globe thus it is usually only the wealthy who can dare to go the extra mile to find the best possible level of health care.

But all is not lost, for there are those, who vowed to heal the sick with their medical skills, opting to offer, free of charge, their services to many people who can ill-afford to pay.

Just recently, The Waterfalls was able to catch up with some local Guyanese doctors and other health professionals, who were volunteering their time and skills to provide timely services, at no cost, to the less fortunate.

This noble initiative was the joint effort of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that have over the years hosted large-scale medical outreaches across the country.

 

The Waterfalls was privileged to travel with the team during one of their most recent outreaches, which included expertise from the NGOs, the Guyana Cancer Society (GCS) and the Guyana Medical Relief (GMR).

They worked closely with a US Embassy Team, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and even public health institutions across Guyana to ensure that as many people as possible could benefit.
Many of those volunteering confessed that they see it as a privilege to leave the comfort of their home on their day-off or even on holidays, to be a part of an outreach through which they conduct free medical check-ups for those in need.

The most recent outreach was held last Father’s Day in the mining town of Linden, Region 10. Of note, many of the doctors who volunteered their services were in fact fathers themselves and instead of being home with their wives and children, they chose to brave unstable weather to provide free medical services to Lindeners.

Dr. Ejaz Hatim, an Internal Medicine Resident, who is not yet a father, said during the outreach that, “This is what we live for, this is part of our training, giving back to communities.”
According to him, it is a satisfying experience to provide care for persons who are less fortunate.

Hatim said after the outreach, “I had the privilege of speaking to a few patients who I referred to the medical centre either at Linden or Georgetown so that they can have the best possible care for conditions that were not looked at due to resources being limited or they don’t understand the system, so it was pretty good and satisfying to give back.”

Hatim has been volunteering for quite a while with the GCS and GMR. During the Linden outreach, they worked along with the US Embassy team, officials from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, the Cheddi Jagan Dental School, the Linden Hospital Complex and other organisations to provide a gamut of services including eye, blood and HIV testing; prostate, breast and cervical cancer examinations and dental services.

Free medicine and vitamins, and other handouts, were also given to the many individuals who took advantage of the outreach. Many of them, who were diagnosed with elevated blood sugar and blood pressure levels, benefitted from counselling sessions and were given tips on how to take better care of themselves which included steps to maintaining a healthy diet.

During the outreach, GCS engaged in cancer awareness activities. In fact, Head of the GCS, Sharir Chan, revealed that it was a decision to raise awareness about cancer across Guyana that led to the birth of his NGO.

At a recent dinner held to raise funds for the initiative, Chan said, “The Guyana Cancer Society was born out of me doing work with the Guyana Medical Relief across Guyana.”
He explained that while working with GMR, he became aware of the devastating impact cancer has had on persons, especially those living in interior locations.

His experience, he said, led him to form the GCS, an NGO that today focuses just on cancer, especially cervical cancer. One of the goals of the cancer society, he added, “is to bring the rate of cervical cancer down in the country because it is both curable and preventable.”

 

Guyana’s president, Irfaan Ali, who attended the dinner, is supportive of the mission of the GCS. In fact, during a speech he made at the fundraising event, he pledged that his government will play its part to make health care more affordable in Guyana, especially for cancer patients and those who suffer from other non-communicable diseases.

As such, he promised then to throw his government’s support behind NGOs that have been filling the gap to provide health care services to those who cannot afford it. In his personal capacity, the President, at the event, donated $1 million to help advance the work of the GCS.

 

 

 

 

 

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