– Derron Moonsammy uses ‘pep talks’ to connect with youths in Region One

By Wendella Davidson

AS doctor-in-charge of Kumaka General, Dr. Derron Moonsammy is excited about being in a position to help young people fresh out of high school gainfully occupy themselves in their spare time, and better still, to have the facilities at his disposal to help them do so.

He’s long been having regular ‘pep’ talks with village youths, and this year he plans going one better by having them volunteer at the hospital, which is woefully understaffed. He’s also hoping to establish an adolescent clinic at the hospital.

During a recent sit-down with the Guyana Chronicle, the Cuban-trained medical practitioner who hails from Mabaruma, another of the three sub-regions, the other being Martarkai, expressed concern over the abuse of drugs, unemployment and teenage pregnancy, all of which negatively affect the youths in the Moruca sub-division.

Having worked in all of the sub-districts in Region One (Barima-Waini), Dr. Moonsammy said that the Moruca sub-district is the one with the most cases of mental illness.
He believes the reason for this high incidence of the disease in this particular community is that many of those afflicted with it may have at one time used drugs or been exposed to some sort of drug or suffer from some other illness that is associated mental illness.
He recalled that in quite a few instances, those persons had either wounded or murdered someone.

He said that other than cigarettes and alcohol, young people also seem to have a liking for marijuana. And in an effort to reduce this scourge, Dr. Moonsammy said he and a team from the hospital have identified and targeted certain areas where the drug seems to be most in use.

The doctor reiterated that the purpose of he and staff going into identified areas last year to have ‘pep talks’ with the residents on ‘the harmful effects of marijuana’ was to reduce the use of drugs among the young people. However, it was observed that the interventions attract mostly the older folks, who turn out in their numbers, rather than the intended group who usually would just listen and leave the venue.

Dr. Moonsammy said he sees the need for more engagements with the youths, hence his desire to establish a Maternal Child Health (MCH) clinic, which will comprise a maternal child health section and an adolescent section. At the latter, the aim is to have the youths go and procure materials and also be engaged in group discussions to address factors relating to mental health and other illnesses.

Touching briefly on the issue of teenage pregnancy, the sub-region’s leading medical practitioner said: “It is very common; sometimes in more places than others, but it is very common,” he said, while noting that the youngest case on record last year was 12 years-old.

Dr. Moonsammy further explained that once a person is under 19 years of age, they are considered a teenager, as opposed to under 16 years, which is considered rape, whereby action has to be taken and recorded. At 16, 18, or 19 years it is recorded but still considered as teenage pregnancy. “So we have a high number,” he said.

Asked what may be the root cause for such a breakdown, Dr. Moonsammy said: “Generally, it may be due to the culture in the sub-region, where teenagers are not prohibited from entering bars and clubs; poor supervision by parents; and the degradation of values in the family,” all of which, he added has been going on for years.

The doctor said, “There is no line drawn between an adult and a teenager and how they are expected to behave, and what they should be doing or not doing and there is the issue of unemployment.”

Expounding on the latter, he said that when the youths leave school at around 15 or 16 years of age, there is no employment avenue available, so they remain in the village and mix with those persons who are doing drugs. The girls engage in sexual activity and sometimes get pregnant. And while such behaviour should not be seen as normal, the fact that it is happening so often, it is perceived as normal behaviour for a teenage girl to get pregnant, go get the baby and return to school.

“We are trying to curb this by starting with an adolescent clinic,” Dr Moonsammy said, adding: “It was a long time coming; we had a VSO (Volunteer Service Overseas) officer who was pushing for it. There are clubs in schools which is a good thing.”