The New Horizons Guyana Programme
“The optometric services being offered is the number one seller.”
So said Mr. Patrick Carpenter, a volunteer with the New Horizons Guyana programme that yesterday took their support to the Skeldon Hospital, Region Six (East Berbice/ Corentyne).

Persons awaiting eye care services.

In an invited comment, he added that approximately 200 of those that come for medical assistance are in need of optometric service.

He explained that the optometric service facilitates an eye examination and also provides spectacles if necessary.
The New Horizons Guyana programme is one designed to strengthen U.S ties with partner nations in Central and South America, through combined quality-of-life improvement projects.

In Guyana’s case, the quality-of-life improvements projects are being done at a cost of US$9M.

Facilitating these projects are American volunteer soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen participating in the New Horizons Guyana, a U.S. Southern Command exercise, on two-week rotations.

The projects undertaken include:

* The renovation of a school building at Timehri on East Bank Demerara;

* The construction of a health centre at La Penitence;

* The construction of a school house in Bel Air, Georgetown; and

* Eight medical assistance initiatives that see support at Timehri Primary School and the Diamond Secondary School, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Linden hospital and Skeldon Hospital.

U.S. volunteer assists a Berbician towards a medical doctor.

The U.S team that took New Horizon Guyana’s support did so in the form of dental, pediatric, dermatology, cardiology and pharmaceutical services, along with general and internal medicine and, the most requested, optometric services.

The outreach at Skeldon Hospital is expected to run until next Thursday, July 30, 2009.

The medical team operating in Skeldon includes five medical doctors, three physician’s assistants, two nurses, two optometrists, two dentists, medical technicians and administration personnel.

Patrick Carpenter asserted that together, his team intends for the outreach in Skeldon to target a total of 5,500 individuals.

U.S. volunteers at a dental station at the Skeldon Hospital.

Task Force Commander with the New Horizons Guyana programme, Lt. Col. Patrick Keenan, reiterated this, acknowledging that it was possible since the response and the turnout for the medical assistance were impressive.

He added that his team was enthusiastic to be able to assist the Guyanese people and lauded the support of the Ministry of Health.
The Ministry of Health, among other governmental organisations, has been collaborating with New Horizons Guyana who made visits over the past few years.

Keenan noted that this year was no different, while the U. S team was involved in many months of planning that began in the latter part of May, 2009.

The actual projects began on July 1, 2009, and are expected to run through to September 15, 2009.

“We have had good support and a good response, so we are hoping to target at least 12,000 persons in all the projects,” he asserted.

Among those who so far were able to access the assistance of New Horizons Guyana was Ms. Padmini Dyal who stated that she, like many others, were grateful for the assistance.

Another woman, Ms. Devi Sugrim, said that the reason she took advantage of this service was because of the fact that private consultations would have been costly.

Many others citied this as the reason for their visit to the Skeldon Hospital and expressed their gratitude to the U. S team.

Charge d’ Affairs of the U.S Embassy, Ms. Karen Williams, who visited with the team, extended similar sentiments to the team lauding their commitment to a philanthropic venture.