By Michel Outridge

Gobin Persaud is the Ambulance Driver attached to the Wales Sugar Estate Dispensary.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that financially things have been difficult for many and people are trying with some small businesses as is.

Persaud disclosed that this position as an Ambulance Driver is to serve the community and sugar workers but he is the lone driver there.

His shift ends at 15:00hrs and after that, if there is an emergency, residents have to make other transportation arrangements to seek medical attention.

Persaud related that there is a need for another Ambulance Driver for a rotation system so they can better serve the community.

The Dispensary is staffed by an in-house Medex, a Nursing Assistant, the ambulance driver, a security guard and a cleaner.

He pointed out that Medex Paula Thomas is a gem of a woman and a frontline worker, who is very kind and willing to assist anybody.

She resides in the senior staff compound at Wales and would often go beyond the call of duty to provide medical assistance to residents.

Persaud is of the opinion that the ambulance service should be around the clock to serve the community but currently they only operate from 07:00hrs to 15:00hrs and being a cash-strapped village people need the help.

“I am suggesting the ambulance work seven days per week because when they have emergencies I don’t get called out to assist after hours that is and this community needs it,” he said.

Other community duties

Persaud is also a councillor within the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) as well as the Works Committee Chairman for the Community Infrastructure Improvement Programme (CIIP) and oversees 14 workers, inclusive of three watchmen, who maintain the drains and parapets in the villages.

The resident of Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara told the Pepperpot Magazine that the internal streets in the community is in a deplorable state and needs to be paved.

He related that the NDC comprises of nine People’s Progressive Party (PPP) members and seven A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) members and they serve several villages stretching from Patentia to Sisters Village.

The Councillor added that presently there is a job shortage on that West Bank Demerara corridor and there is also need for a recreational centre in the community with a ball field for the youths. The nearest community centre is at Patentia, a few villages away.

Persaud reported that the Wales Sugar Estate closed in December 2016 leaving many jobless and now re-opening may pose a difficulty because the facility is just a shell with nothing inside, everything has been removed.

“There is nothing, no equipment in the estate, everything is gone and it is just a shell so I don’t know what will happen if we were to re-open the estate. The senior staff houses have all been sold with only the house where the Medex stays and the Dispensary still belongs to Guysuco,” he said.

The Councillor related that the cane lands have been converted to private use by residents, who have 500 acres of rice cultivation.

“We at the NDC don’t have a problem because we work in the best interest of the people and the community and we exchange cordial relations,” he said.

Persaud is a Councillor since 2018 and is advocating for better conditions as a team.

Persaud also pointed out that there is a great need for an ICT hub in the community because since school closed due to the pandemic, the children are at home and some do not have access to the internet to get their school work completed.

The Nursing Assistant of Wales Sugar Estate Dispensary

The Pepperpot Magazine also met Shellon Charles who is a Nursing Assistant who was attached to the Wales Sugar Estate Dispensary.

Charles explained that since she was a child she always wanted to become a nurse because she liked taking care of people and use to practice on the family dogs with bandages and other pretend medical items.

As she grew into a young woman she enrolled at the Guyana School of Nursing and was successful at the two-year programme and went into the medical field.

She was employed at the Wales Sugar Estate Dispensary for five years where she assisted with the chronic diseases clinic and medicals for sugar workers.

Before Charles gave birth to her first child, she took a break from the job but was working at Woodlands Hospital for seven years.

Her baby is 11 months old and she plans to return to work in the near future once she gets someone to take care of her child.

“Sometimes I am bored because for nine months I did not work and I miss my job but with the pandemic and a young baby to tend to I have no choice at present but will return to my profession,” she said.