Some 300 villagers of Issano, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Region Seven recently benefitted from a medical outreach that involved the US embassy and several NGOs including the California-based group, Guyana Medical Relief (GMR).
According to a GMR release, it partnered with the United States Embassy-Civil Affairs Team to conduct a “massive” outreach in Issano last Sunday. The statement said that approximately 50 persons volunteered to travel to Issano to offer medical services. Among the doctors were specialists in paediatric care, mental health, internal medicine, and general practitioners. Services offered included VIA (Visualization in Acetic Acid), COVID vaccinations, distribution of reading glasses, and general medical checkups that involved blood pressure and glucose screenings.
The release explained that VIA is a procedure that lines the cervix with acetic acid to identify lesions that can lead to cervical cancer. The Guyana Cancer Society spearheaded the task of sponsoring the VIAs, with the assistance of the Bartica Hospital.
The American contingent comprised the Civil Affairs Team who provided logistics and assisted with financing for the boat. GMR also provided logistics and recruited the necessary volunteer personnel for this outreach.
GMR is a California-based public benefit non-profit organisation formed in 1984 by a group of Guyanese based in Los Angeles, California. It focusses on addressing the health-related needs of the people in Guyana and supports eight hospitals in Guyana, and satellite clinics in more remote regions.
Other NGOs who donated to this venture, include Food For The Poor, which provided clothing and foodstuff for the hamper distribution, SEWA Guyana, provided sanitizers, and restaurant chain, KFC Guyana, readily provided dinner for the 60 travellers who disembarked at Parika on the return leg of the trip. The Ministry of Health provided the medication for this outreach. GMR’s partner, Direct Relief, of California also assisted with medications and supplies while Angels for Sight, another California nonprofit, was able to offer reading glasses to those who could not afford them.
Region Seven Chairman, Kenneth Williams, was instrumental in assisting with logistics on the ground, and local businessman, Michael Bacchus, of Issano, provided transportation of supplies from Georgetown to Issano.
During the outreach team members pooled resources and evacuated a 3-year-old boy with suspected heart disease to the Bartica hospital for further investigation and management. The child’s mother was also brought out as she was earlier diagnosed with malaria, the release added.
