THE Indian High Commission has donated medical supplies and essential items to the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI) to assist in efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to assist the people of Essequibo in this difficult situation.
The medical supplies donated include COVID-19 test kits, infrared thermometer, KN95 masks, surgical masks, hand sanitisers, nitrile gloves, hazmat suits and cleaning agents.

The High Commission organised these items for donation to the chamber through the full support of the Bank of Baroda in Guyana. Indian High Commissioner, Dr. K.J. Srinivasa and Bank of Baroda, Managing Director, Arun Kumar Gupta, handed over the items to the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the presence of Regional Executive Officer, Devanand Ramdatt; Vice-President of the Chamber, Suean Seewnarayan; and Regional Health Officer, Dr. Afarah Khan.

On September 2, the Government of India has extended assistance of US$1M to the Government of Guyana for combating COVID-19 pandemic. This assistance is aimed at improving health infrastructure and capacities in Guyana and to enable the people of Guyana to receive more COVID-19-related medical care and health services.

This assistance of US$1 million from India will be used for improving healthcare in Guyana, and for procurement of life-saving medical supplies and equipment. Under this assistance, 29 ventilators, 4800 PPE-clothing coverall, 4799 masks, 4366 face shields, 70 boxes of examination gloves, and various other supplies will be procured. Besides these, the Government of India has provided 30,000 hydroxychloroquine tablets to Guyana as a gesture of goodwill in support of its fight against COVID-19.

The Bank of Baroda (Guyana) is a subsidiary of the Bank of Baroda, India’s International Bank. The Bank of Baroda offers a full range of financial services with local branches, an international network and correspondent banks located in 24 countries around the world providing exceptional international linkages. The Bank of Baroda (Guyana) Inc. was one of the earliest overseas branches of Bank of Baroda. It was established in Georgetown, Guyana on March 31, 1966, less than a year after the formation of the Bank of Guyana, and prior to Guyana’s independence. In 1999, the overseas branch in Guyana was converted to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bank of Baroda.

In 2012, the bank established a branch in Mon Repos on the East Coast of Demerara. It now has two branches in Guyana. The bank is committed to bringing new technology to Guyana. Having its own correspondent bank in New York, it is also in the process of introducing a few technology-enabled products and services like SMS Alert, mobile banking facility, etc. in Guyana. They proposed to open three to four new branches and are also contemplating opening a new branch in the Essequibo region after completing a feasibility study.