SOME 60 youths in Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice) are being trained in patient care. Such training will not only improve the quality of care patients receive in the region but will also serve as means out of unemployment.

The patient-care programme is taking place at the Linden Hospital Complex and comes through collaboration among the Chairman’s Office of the Region’s Regional Democratic Council (RDC); the Ministry of Public Health and the hospital.

In a release on Monday, RDC Chairman, Renis Morian, expressed his pleasure that the programme is moving ahead smoothly with increased interest from the participants.

“This certainly will go a long way as we would be able to have patient care in the various health centres. [It] forms part of the Government’s attempts at improving health care in Guyana. We are working to improve our health centres and health clinics. We are working very aggressively in improving health care in the health centres and if you go around the region you will recognise that there is a vast improvement of health care in Region Ten,” Morian said.

The Regional Chairman declared that he will continue, with the support of his Regional Councillors and other stakeholders, to ensure the RDC does its part to improve the lives of the region’s young people.

He disclosed that soon a number of outlying areas in Region Ten will also be targeted.

Some of these include the communities of Mabura and Riversview in which the RDC is seeking to create avenues for job creation.

Morian expounded that job creation within Region Ten, among young people, is critical.

However, he said that the economic challenges being faced by youths are currently being addressed by his office with support from a number of agencies and Ministries.

“Therefore, this patient-care training is critically important as when you think about the economic impact of 60 persons being employed it certainly will assist a number of families as they are currently receiving a stipend during the six months training and upon completion they would certainly receive a salary, which means that we have 60 less persons who are unemployed,” he said.

He added, “We remain thankful to the Ministry of Public Health because these 60 individuals are now learning a skill and hopefully have made a positive start to what can be a long-term career for them in the health sector.”