Dear Editor,
It was recently brought to my attention through family and friends from Port Kaituma, Region One, that they are faced with deplorable health risks. I am a native of this region, and have been living out of Guyana for over 30 years, I left in my twenties, during which time the County of Essequibo was nicknamed the ‘Cinderella County.’ It would appear over the years the only change was the name ‒ Region 1.
Essequibo was always known as the richest region in Guyana, producing minerals including manganese (extraction was in Port Kaituma, by Pomeroy Manganese Mining Corporation until the early ‘60s). shrimp, not forgetting freshwater aquaria, fauna and wild game animals, only to name a few; and it has forever been taken advantage of, as its nickname suggests. Over the years both locals and foreigners have been entering the hinterland of Region 1, raping this county of its valuable resources, and underpaying and overworking the locals in exchange for their services, because of their friendliness, generosity and humility.
With such a high influx of locals and foreigners, especially miners, one would believe that a medical doctor would reside in the area, but unfortunately, there is only a medex. Should there be an emergency during the day which cannot be handled by someone at that level, pray God that an airplane is at hand on that day; just guess what will occur if there is an emergency at night. My sister’s pregnancies were always breach deliveries, and she had to be flown to Georgetown for them.
The main reason which has propelled me to reach out to the media is what has affected my family directly. My uncle, a 58-year-old who never had health issues was hospitalized on two occasions over a few weeks, without a diagnosis. During his second hospitalization he died on May 13, approximately 4-6 hours after admission, again without a diagnosis. The problem my family is facing is that they are being presented with a death certificate without a cause of death being given. An autopsy was not performed to determine the cause of death, but they are prepared to hand over the body without any information to the grieving relatives. To add insult to injury, my aunt travelled from the US to attend the funeral scheduled for May 16. On the morning of May 15, when presented with the incomplete document, she refused it and was told to return at 1pm. On her return she was made to wait for hours, and she then requested to speak with the medex, and was told that she was ill with cramps, and that she should return on May 16 for the her brother’s death certificate. The funeral had to be cancelled because of the negligence, irresponsibility, and disrespect on the part of the medex. In my opinion someone needs to be held accountable.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. A 7-year-old child died the same day as my uncle after being bitten 3 days earlier and could not explain what bit him. Furthermore, it is understood, if someone is bitten by a snake, they have to inform the hospital what type of snake it was, or else there will be no treatment. What if the person does not know the name of the reptile, or cannot talk because of a swollen tongue which resulted from the effects of the venom? What class of human beings is calling themselves healthcare providers, and yet not providing vital care and attention to the sick and dying?
There is also an environmental hazard which is plaguing the residents; the contaminated waste from the hospital is washed into the river ‒ the same river water which is pumped into their homes without proper processing and ingested by all. My mom was ill approximately two months ago with diarrhoea and vomiting. She was also physically weak, and my stepfather told me she had cholera. But thank God whatever it was, she revived with the help of a herbal remedy.
I feel the time has finally arrived for human rights and the World Health Organiza-tion to get involved and investigate all these practices which residents in these developing regions have to endure; it is being done in India, Africa and many Latin countries. I am quite sure there is mercury contamination which comes down the tributaries from the gold mining zones to the main rivers.
Yours faithfully,
Cindy Martin
