Dear Editor,
I dislike having to write any public letter of complaint to shame a business, in this case, a governmental agency for not doing their job! Further, on Guyana’s Ministry of Health (MOH) website, there isn’t an “About Us” section of the role(s) that ministry plays or the commitment in the health sector towards the Guyanese people! Even if they have to make false promises, a few lines about their role in Guyana should be available, nonetheless, I am embarrassing MOH for being ill-prepared to serve Guyana.
May-June rains are upon us as expected every year, no surprise hence Region 4 should have already been fogged for mosquitoes! Given its mid- 2022 with Christmas in 5 months, MOH should have been diligently fogging in the other administrative regions with Region 4 as first priority since the capital is located here. It takes a village to raise a child. That said, respective departments that fall under the MoH umbrella should all be on the same page working towards a mission which clearly the MOH doesn’t have on their webpage, so no employee has a clue what they’re supposed to be doing. Those are the signals they’re sending to citizens like myself. If this is not the case, prove me and the rest of Guyana wrong!!
On June 6, 2022 I called MOH to request mosquito fogging and was given a number to call. That number provided a 2nd telephone number and specific contact name to call. Per usual, the cat and mouse game you must play in Guyana to get anything accomplished! Determined to fix my problem, since the mosquitoes are getting the better of me, I called the 2nd number; the person I was told to ask for was out of the office so I stated my reason for calling and was transferred to another employee in that office, however; she fumbled for words when I politely requested a work order to fog for mosquitoes in my village situated on the East Coast of Demerara. For my knowledge, I also asked when was the last time the MOH fogged my village for mosquitoes and could not be given an answer besides, “I think your village is on the list and as soon as we get some sun, we will come.”
The 2 A’s: accountability and action are all I am asking from this government. Furthermore, we in Guyana hear about mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, Zika and West Nile virus yet we do not take it seriously because we DO NOT HAVE health guidelines in place and I am not talking about a 1 time fog and then fog back 2 years later. Consistent mosquito fogging on a rotation basis throughout the twelve months of the year should become mandatory in Guyana. Since natural gas has pressured tourism to soar in Guyana, I am proposing to all that we as a country, both government and people, need to focus on getting Guyana looking like a First World country. I’m not talking about building large architectural structures. What I’m talking about is to start by deep cleaning our stink-filth country and weekly fog for mosquitoes in Regions 1 -10, twelve months of the year and not a “seasonal fog”.
I followed up via phone on June 22, 2022 to be told “as soon as we get some sun, we will come” and was asked for my contact info a 2nd time. CARICOM day is approaching and I cannot see my request to fog Ogle for mosquitoes happening soon. For the most, I wanted to get the entire village fogged by the end of June. I’m fed up hearing from the influx of tourists entering Guyana how 3RD World we are and I’m ashamed to be from a country that cannot get ahead because we do not know how to pick up ourselves, yet we want to be like the Westerners. There are very much a number of differences that sets them apart from us.
This year will end and Guyana still would not be able to handle, manage or deliver for its citizens other than rack up debt with the foreigners, for we cannot do any task let alone a job properly ourselves. Why must any citizen of Guyana have to write to a newspaper to dispute public matters because it falls on deaf ears and goes unresolved when said citizen attempts on their own to get action? Quit slacking and get cracking…
Sincerely,
(Name and Address Provided)
