Fifteen persons have undergone surgeries on a US navy medical ship and 350 persons are being treated daily at the main medical centre of the USS Iwo Jima – Continuing Promise 2010 mission set up at Rose Hall, Corentyne.
Nine persons underwent general surgeries while six persons benefitted from ophthalmological surgeries. The surgeries are being performed onboard the ship which is docked 15 nautical miles offshore, following pre-screening procedures at the medical site.
Patients who are accompanied to the ship by a relative have to wait onboard for a short recovery period before being referred to a hospital to recover fully, according to US Navy Lt. Johann Guzman, US Embassy Military Liaison Officer.
The team of Seabees Engineers (construction battalion) was also spread to three locations in Berbice as they have gotten down to working on: the incinerator at the New Amsterdam Hospital (NAH), the Central Corentyne Secondary School (CCSS) and an agricultural packaging and storage plant at Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder.
Guzman along with the Public Affairs Officer of the US Embassy in Georgetown Charlotte Hu accompanied the media to some of the sites.
At the main medical site they explained that services such as dental, adult medicine, pediatric health screenings, dental exams/extractions, eye exams/with glasses, limited pharmacy, preventive medicine and veterinary care are being offered.
The medical team comprises surgeons, doctors, nurses, dentists, civilian medical personnel, fleet surgical team and navy ‘hospital-men’ (operating room technicians, bio-medical technicians, X-Ray technicians, dental technicians and laboratory technicians).
At the NAH, Seabees Daurell Winchester and Naphaphone Ratsavong along with the contractor, Harry Stroud and local head technician, Ervin Rose proudly demonstrated to the media that the incinerator was already up and running.
Winchester said they assisted the contractor to replace malfunctioning electrical parts and to do adjustments to get the incinerator “up and running” on Wednesday.
The contractor would then train staff on how to run the incinerator so as to prevent or fix future problems.
The media also visited the CCSS where the team of 33 Seabees was installing partitions in two classrooms. They would also be fixing the electrical problems which include replacing a wooden panel box and would be installing lights in each classroom.
Petty Officer, Sean Sullivan told the media that the school would also benefit from a new fence, gate and a refurbished basketball court. The front of the school building and the corridor rails would also be repainted while the old toilets would also be replaced.
This is the third time Guyana has hosted the Continuing Promise mission. The first visit was in 2008 when USS Kearsarge spent 13 days providing medical, dental, veterinary and engineering services.
Opening ceremony
At the opening ceremony at the New Amsterdam Hospital on Wednesday, President Bharrat Jagdeo said his government was extremely grateful to the US government for the mission.
He said the relationship shared between the two countries, particularly at the diplomatic level has resulted in several initiatives that have been beneficial to the Guyanese people.
Jagdeo mentioned that the help from the US has made a significant impact in its support for the battle against HIV/AIDS.
Because of that support, he said, Guyana did not only stabilize the infection rate but there has been a drastic decline.
The resources, he pointed out, were not only for advocacy and anti-retroviral drugs but for putting infrastructure in place for government to deal with other communicable diseases.
The president said it was an houour to have the most powerful military in the world working in Guyana to address the concerns of “our people.”
He said there has been a growth in the frequency of disaster-related incidents, largely because of climate change.
President Jagdeo acknowledged the “tremendous” work the US had done in Haiti and pointed out that “only the US military could have gone to Haiti and established some semblance of logistics.”
He told the US team that the facility that is being built in “Black Bush Polder will help some of the farmers as we seek to reorient the village economy to a more business-related approach, rather than just peasant farming…”
US Chief of Mission, Tom Pierce said the “humanitarian assistance operation demonstrates the partnership between Guyana and the United States of America to jointly address challenges, exchange expertise, and further our strategic cooperation.”
He said that the members of Continuing Promise 2010 are also engaged in engineering and medical projects throughout Regions 5 and 10.
He mentioned too that the vessel provided emergency relief to New Orleans following hurricane Katrina.
In his remarks, Captain Negus expressed gratitude for the warm hospitality and great partnership as they bring Continuing Promise to Guyana.
Among those in attendance were Minister within the Ministry of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran; Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud and Chairman of Region Six, Zulfikar Mustapha who welcomed the team to his region and Region Five Chairman; Harrinarine Baldeo.