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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 29, 2016
Stories and photos by Vanessa Braithwaite
Linden doctors on scholarships for specialised training
THREE doctors from the Mackenzie Hospital in Linden recently left for China to pursue specialized training in the field of medicine. Martha Singh, Allan Outridge, and Sean Huston are pursuing courses in orthopedics, cardiology and anaesthesia respectfully. They were granted scholarships from the Government of Guyana and the Government of China after it was concluded that the hospital was in dire need of specialised clinics and resident doctors to man those clinics. According to Chairman of the Regional Health Committee Gregory Harris, the three doctors returned from Cuba in 2013 after studying general medicine for seven years but were sent to pursue speciality as most of those doctors were visiting doctors who came on a routine basis. The three doctors will be spending three to four years overseas. The call was made at the recently held public consul-
Allan Outridge tation with Junior Minister of Health Karen Cummings in Linden. After the Minister learnt that the hospital was in need of specialised doctors, she urged the general practising doctors to pursue speciality training as scholarships were available. “We have persons who have just written CXC, encourage
Martha Singh them to go into the health field. Maybe we can have a neurologist coming from Linden, encourage the younger ones to come into the field so that you can have your own specialists in Linden,” articulated Dr. Cummings. She boasted that it was the Ministry’s mandate to provide specialized services not only at
the Linden Hospital Complex but countrywide and therefore there was a call for persons to pursue post graduate training in medicine in an effort to foster continuous medical education. Director of Regional Health Services Dr. Kay Shako also commenting on the issue said that nurses should
Sean Huston also consider the offer as they can use the opportunity afforded them to serve their communities. “We would want nurses from the direct location to be trained so that they can give those services back to their community so we will be looking for persons from their specific location,” posited Shako.
The Linden Hospital Complex currently has 50 doctors and six specialised units that hold specific clinics on a weekly basis. The hospital is looking to increase this number as many patients seeking various speciality services are often transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Disabled man gifted with motorised wheelchair IT IS THE INNATE desire of any man to be able to work so as to adequately provide for his family. When such a privilege is taken away from him because of unforeseen circumstances, he would most naturally feel frustrated, unable to fulfill his purpose as a family head. Such was the feeling of Godfrey La Rose of Constabulary Compound, Linden who lost his legs as a result of uncontrolled diabetes. La Rose was pitched into a state of depression. The former employee of Guymine who for many years served in the capacity of Security Constable began suffering with severe diabetes and lost his right foot to the disease 1n 2012 - below the knee. He then got an artificial foot which allowed him to
move around normally. “I was walking normal and nobody knew it was a false foot,” La Rose revealed. He then became an employee of Banks DIH, Linden
Branch but unfortunately, three years after he lost the other foot above the knee. That became the end of his working career as he was now confined to a manual wheel chair.
This confinement pitched La Rose into state of depression as he was always the bread winner of his family. Despite these trials he tried to rely on the strength of God to
Happy in his new motorised wheelchair
go by and his faith has been opening doors as his family is always taken care of. He also thanked his wife that has been there for him through thick and thin even when his frustration was at peak. “Regardless of your faith sometimes you do get frustrated and stressed because when I sit down on my verandah and I see people passing going to work, I feel a sense of worthlessness.” His latest blessing was that of being gifted with a motorised wheel chair from the USA arm of the Ex Guymine/ Linmine Constabulary Organization. The chair was presented at a simple ceremony at the Constabulary Hall. The organization recently held a reunion where it was noted by
members in the Diaspora that La Rose was in dire need of the wheel chair. Member of the organization John Domer told the audience that the organization was a newly-formed one and the gesture was only a fraction of what was in store. La Rose was in high spirits when he received the chair and continued to give God praise and thanks. He said, “This thing is about faith that no matter what happens you do not give up. There is a true and living God. You have gotta be with God to know that there is God.” Though he would not be working, he said he would now be moving in fine style.