THE health crusade which was started at the beginning of this year to solicit the support of the corporate community is gaining momentum, and is beginning to take a lead that others may want to follow.
Moves by the Ministry of Health to expand its outreach exercises to include religious organisations among others have sent encouraging signals, and only recently one of the ministry’s outreaches was held at the Masjid An Najm and social centre at Albouystown where both muslims and non-muslims gathered under one roof to receive general and eye care services.
The people note with satisfaction, an earlier initiative this year with the corporate community which saw over 300 Guyanese accessing free medical attention within proximity of their respective work places.
The current health crusade by the Ministry of Health deserves all plaudits for taking health care to the people. This is so because things have changed over the centuries when only common diseases were known to which man paid little or no attention at all.
During those times, man laboured day in and day out without the fear of being trapped into any of the agonies that plague today’s society. Over time, however, things have changed drastically and man now has to grapple with multiple diseases that constitute the vagaries of life today.
We appreciate the fact that the Guyana government recognises the fact that man is now being confronted by some of the cruelest illnesses which demand huge chunks from our national budget for the protection of the nation’s health. But any caring government would continue to spend adequately on its nation’s health as healthy citizens are the wealth of any nation, for without healthy people, there could be no production, and without production there could be no economic growth which is an essential ingredient for the success of any nation.
But although it is the responsibility of the government to provide health care to the people, in an effort to reach out to as much of the country’s population as possible, including the incapacitated, the Ministry of Health must be lauded for throwing out the health dragnet and more and more of our citizens are benefiting from better health care services.
In this regard, we cannot ignore the call by Health Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsarran for more organisations to tap into the effort. This is indeed an interesting call which really tests the patriotism in our people’s resolve in striving for broader unity among all our people. Our diverse racial, cultural, religious and political composition which blend us into a plural society are clear indications that with collective effort, we could achieve several national goals which point only to the general improvement of all the people of this country.
While it is good for the Albouystown muslims to identify with the health crusade, we believe that it would be great if other religious organisations and groups would come on board in one big effort to help provide better health care to our people.
Over the years, the government has spent billions of dollars to help provide better health facilities for the people of this country. In this regard, spanking new hospitals and other health institutions have been built and provided with modern equipment and adequate, qualified staff. The four diagnostic centres at Suddie on the Essequibo Coast; Leonora on the West Coast of Demerara; Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara; and Mahaicony on the East Coast of Demerara are testimony to this fact. On top of this, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation has taken on a new look, and so are the Linden and New Amsterdam hospitals. Further, there is an ophthalmology centre on the Corentyne.
We believe that the initiative by the Ministry of Health should be supported by all in its crusade which is aimed at improving the delivery of health care to all citizens of this country.