AFTER stepping out of her comfort zone and leaving her home in the remote village of Monkey Mountain in the North Pakaraimas, Region Eight, Laura Carvalho successfully completed the medex programme after four years of dedicated studies and hard work.

Following six weeks of training under the guidance of a doctor and attachment at a hospital, she will return to her village to serve as a medex.

She will be attached to the Monkey Mountain Health Centre, complementing the current staff. The health facility does not have a medex.

This achievement is also the first for her family and she is very happy she is now a healthcare professional, which will give her the opportunity to serve her community.

The 21-year-old explained that having to step out of her comfort zone and leave her family and village was difficult but had to be done to qualify herself in the medical field. Today, she is happy she made that decision.

Though it was filled with daily commuting via public transportation, late nights and early mornings, it was worth it.

Carvalho was only 17 years old when she made the bold step towards self-development.

“I always wanted to be in healthcare. It was my desire, and I worked towards it, walking from my village to Paramakatoi to attend secondary school. It took all day…It wasn’t easy,” she said.

The new medex told the Guyana Chronicle that four years away from home and her family was a long time but it was necessary in order for her to achieve her goals. Her family members, she said, are proud of her academic accomplishments and she also had the support of the entire village.

Carvalho reported that she wanted to uplift the people in her village and boost the staff compliment and the primary healthcare in Monkey Mountain. Presently, the community has one registered nurse, two nursing assistants, one community health worker and one dentist.

“When I took the bold step to become a medex, I knew it was going to be a challenge because I didn’t know what to expect. I learned quickly of the fast-paced lifestyle of living and studying away from home and with the support of my colleagues, I was able to negotiate the culture shock and also daily hurdles,” she told this publication.

She is presently living in the West Demerara Regional Hospital dormitory and cannot wait to complete her six-week stint so that she can head home and take up her new role.

She travelled daily to attend classes at the Ministry of Health’s health sciences education facility in Georgetown.

Carvalho who is the eldest of two children, related that the nearest health posts from Monkey Mountain are at Kopinang and Tuseneng.

Meanwhile, she gave her commitment to adopting the right attitude so that her fellow villagers and others seeking medical attention can receive proper, timely care.

The healthcare professional revealed that with the MoH’s telemedicine programme, she will be able to contact doctors and consultants for proper advice in order to diagnose and treat her patients.

The Monkey Mountain Health Centre is equipped with Starlink internet service, which will ensure that connectivity can be established at any time.

In her new role, she will be visiting shut-ins and schools, to ensure everyone has access to healthcare.