FORMER HEALTH MINISTERS APPOINTED AS ADVISORS
First Lady Arya Ali Former Health Minister Dr .Bheri Ramasarran and Dr. Leslie Ramsammay
T
he People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has retained the services of
two of its former Health Ministers to serve as Advisors to the new Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony. One of its
Members of Parliament will take on the new role of Director General in the Ministry of Health. P e r m a n e n t
Secretary, Collette Adams, announced the appointments of Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and Dr. Bheri Ramsarran as Advisors to the Minister of Health in a memo to the Directors and Heads of Department in the Ministry of Health. Adams also announced the appointment of PPP Member of Parliament and former Regional Health Officer for Region Six, Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo as Director-General in the Ministry of Health. The position of Director-General is and will be responsible for the health services which
are being delivered at the regional level. Dr. Ramsammy served as Minister of Health from 2001 to 2011. During that time, he was credited with Guyana’s global response to fight HIV/AIDS. He came under criticism following the discovery of a letter bearing his signature for the purchase of spy equipment. Ramsammy denied any involvement and was later moved to the Ministry of Agriculture; he remained in that position until the 2015 elections. Dr. Ramsarran served as the junior Health Minister
under Ramsammy and took over the portfolio in 2011 during the Donald Ramotar administration. Ramsarran was fired from the position weeks before the 2015 elections after an audio recording surfaced with Ramsarran threatening a women’s rights activist. The Health Ministry also announced the appointment of gynecologist, Dr. Narine Singh, as the new acting Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle will continue to serve as the Deputy Chief Medical Officer.
West Berbice residents protest again
Berbice Protesters
R
esidents of No. 5 Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB), once again protested and blocked the roadway with burning tyres while demanding
justice for the Henry cousins, whose mutilated bodies were found in the backdam at Cotton Tree, WCB almost one month ago. The protests began as
a response to the limited information being received from police investigating the murders. Protesters also voiced concerns over the seeming delay in the ongoing investigations.
A report from police said that persons claiming to be the relatives of the late Isaiah and Joel Henry and some residents of # 5 Village, WCB began to block the # 5 Village
bridge with old tyres and debris, and set them on fire. A Police patrol vehicle arrived at the scene and requested assistance to clear the blockage. Around 13:15 hrs. the bridge was cleared and the officers then had to immediately respond to reports of the Public Road at #3 Village being blocked. The police have warned that such actions were illegal and noted that persons could be arrested. They also reminded persons that ranks from the Major Crimes Unit are continuing the investigation with the assistance of a Regional
investigative team drawn from the Regional Security System (RSS) and Caricom IMPACS. The team of investigators from the RSS arrived in Guyana last week Monday. Forensic samples and other evidence have been sent to St. Lucia for detailed analysis. Guyana is also seeking the help of Argentine investigative experts. Police are also investigating the death of 17-year-old Haresh Singh, whose body was found in the Number Three Village backdam a few days after the Henry cousins were murdered.
CXC begins to change ungraded results The Ministry of Education announced on Friday that the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has begun to rectify the issue of students receiving
ungraded results. Twenty local schools sbmitted complaints about ungraded results; regrading has been completed for 11 of them. Those schools are: Port
Kaituma Secondary, Patentia Secondary, Annandale Secondary, New Amsterdam Secondary, Paramakatoi Secondary, Harmony Secondary, Carmel Secondary, Central High School, The Bishops’ High School, Leguan Secondary School and
Mahaicony Secondary School. The CSEC subjects that were initially ungraded are English A, Principles of Business, Office Administration, Economics and Human and Social Biology. The CAPE subjects that were affected are:
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Geography Unit 1, Caribbean Studies, Agricultural Science, Environmental Science, Accounting Unit 1 & 2, Law Unit 1 and Pure Mathematics Unit 1 & 2. Two dozen schools also reported unsatisfactory performances in 20 subject areas.
The Ministry has said that CXC will provide an update on the process for the remaining nine schools as soon as possible. Guyana is one of several Caribbean countries to lodge complaints over the CSEC and CAPE results following their release in September.
