Dear Editor,
I write to publicly thank one of Guyana’s medical officers, Medex Gouveia, for the kindness and professionalism he showed me when I needed his help on Monday, January 14. A woman who works with me informed me during the morning that her brother had been bitten by a rattlesnake and hospitalized in Aishalton where he was given antibiotics and saline. As a layperson I wondered whether treatment should include some anti-venom medication and given how worried his family in Georgetown were, wanted to be able to reassure them that he was being well cared for and didn’t need to be moved elsewhere, for example, to Lethem. I couldn’t get on to the Aishalton hospital and therefore tried two alternatives. The first was to call Minister Ramsarran who was out but returned what he had received as a missed call and then put me on to his Secretary. The second was to call a friend whom I asked to enquire from the head of the GPHC whom I should speak to. That second call provided me with the name Medex Gouveia but when I called he was in a meeting. Sometime later he called me, and I have no idea whether he too, was simply returning a missed call or had been put in touch with me by the Minister’s Secretary. Whichever it was he deserves my thanks for calling to reassure me and through me the young man’s family about his condition, and then calling again later after he had spoken to the doctor. The best part of it was that he provided details and when asked for clarification, offered it without sounding impatient or condescending. Nice work.
Yours faithfully,
Andaiye
