– Minister Ramsaran
Following hard on the heels of the recent visit by President Bharrat Jagdeo to Buxton, yesterday Minister in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, led a team of Ministry and Regional officials to inspect the community health centre, interact with its staff, and meet with the citizens.
In an effort to ensure that adequate and sufficient health services are provided nationwide, the Health Ministry has been dispatching skilled personnel to various health facilities.
Additionally, improvements have been ongoing on the infrastructure of these facilities, ensuring that services are provided in a conducive environment.
These interventions reduce the number of patients who frequent the major health facilities and encourage them to seek services at health facilities within proximity of their homes.
Dr. Ramsaran was a member of the team accompanying President Bharrat Jagdeo on his August 19 visit to Buxton, East Coast Demerara. Minister Ramsaran met with residents immediately after the meeting ended and heard their complaints, concerns and recommendations regarding the provision of primary health care in the large, densely populated village and neighbouring communities.
The Minister undertook to personally visit in the week following President Jagdeo’s meeting.
In keeping with this commitment, the Minister dispatched a technical team to the community on Monday to interact with the Regional Health Officer and Regional Executive Officer, and the Health Centre staff in advance of his visityesterday.            The Buxton Health Centre is one of the largest in the country. It is staffed by a young Guyanese Graduate Doctor, Dr. Heather Morris, a mid-wife, several nursing assistants, a pharmacy assistant and a clinic attendant.
Minister Ramsaran was accompanied by Regional Health Officer (East Coast Demerara), Karen Cummings; Regional Health Services Manager, Rayann Shury; Coordinator for Coastal Facilities, Carol Joseph; and District Development Officer, Rickford Profit. The team was supported by a Civil Engineer working for the Ministry.
At the Buxton Health Centre, Minister Ramsaran interacted with the health care providers to discuss their needs, the adequacy of services provided and ways of improving the facilities and services provided. The Minister advised that he intended to deploy to the Centre a second doctor. He stated that he was exploring the possibility of a resident doctor for the Buxton Community. The upper flat of the building could be renovated to function as doctors’ quarters. Dr. Ramsaran emphasized that this would be beneficial for the community.
During a tour of the facilities, Dr. Ramsaran inspected the on-going renovations being done on the doctors’ quarters, dental area and laboratory. Renovation to the old section of the centre is also to be done. Dr. Ramsaran pointed out that following the renovation, the provision of specialized services will be improved.
Requests were made for a guard to be stationed at the health centre on a 24-hour basis, medications, installation of lockers, an ambulance and dental tools.

At the health centre services are provided by professional nurses, nurse assistants, pharmacists, mid-wife and dental workers. Additionally, several trainees from the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) and work study students are attached to the centre.
Dr. Ramsaran indicated that the attachment gives them the opportunity to experience the nursing profession and this can result in them seeking professional training through the Ministry of Health, in the future.
He also advised the staff to appropriately dispose of waste. The District Development Officer, Rickford Proffitt, indicated that the NDC advised to remove regular or general solid waste from the Centre more frequently. The infectious medical waste will continue to be collected in special red plastic bags and incinerated in the clay brick incinerator in the compound of the Centre. Sharps, such as used needles and scalpel blades, are collected in special receptacles which are removed from the facility at frequent intervals. The facility will no longer burn in its incinerator the regular or general waste, as currently occurs. This will be stored in black plastic bags for removal by the NDC. Minister Ramsaran expressed satisfaction with the waste disposal measures.
In his brief address to the residents and staff, Dr. Ramsaran drew attention to the services being provided by the Dr. C.C. Nicholson Hospital at Nabaclis. He called on residents to utilize these services more frequently. This small hospital is located some 15 minutes by motor vehicle from Buxton. The C.C. Nicholson Hospital has facilitated the delivery of 49 babies for the first six months of this year, as compared to 30 for the corresponding period last year.
Minister Ramsaran pointed out that the Government is committed to continued improvement in the health of the residents of Buxton and surrounding communities. He said that the visit of his team and the visible acceleration in the renovation works at the Buxton Health Centre were a direct consequence of President Jagdeo’s recent visit to the community and the commitments he made to Buxtonians then.
Minister Ramsaran later met with Regional Executive Officer, Donald Gajraj, at the Triumph RDC Office to coordinate the efforts of the central Ministry of Health and the Regional Administration in the improvements at Buxton. (GINA)