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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.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 29, 2016
MHS scores big in Maths and English
WHILE THERE was a significant decline in the overall passes in Mathematics at this year’s CSEC results, the Mackenzie High School in Linden has booted in exceptional grades in Mathematics and is seeing this as an achievement to be noted. Though the overall pass rate for the school is 84%, the analysis of the results shows that the lone High School in Region 10 has done very well despite facing several challenges. A total of 25 students received grade ones in Mathemtics while the overall pass rate stands above 70%. English A pulled in a total of 39 grade ones with an overall pass rate of 90%. The school also ranked
Ornissa Gordon
in 100% passes for Agricultural Science, Building Technology, Clothing and Textile, EDPM and Food and Nutrition. Over 90% of the students in the 2016 batch passed Economics and English A, while 80% passed Biology, Caribbean History and Geography.
The school has also copped 8 of the 10 spots for the Region’s top 10 with the top business student gaining 7 grade ones. Not only is the CSEC results remarkable but the Carribbean Advance Proffiency Examination (CAPE), also saw noticeable success with 100% overall passes in several subjects. These include Agricultural Science, Caribbean Studies, Chemi s try, C o m m u n ic a t i o n Studies, Environmental Science, Geography, Law Unit 1, Management of Business, Mathematics Unit 1 and 2, Physics and Sociology Unit 1 and 2. The top CAPE student is Ornissa Gordon who is now pursuing her degree in Economics at the University of Guyana.
Asher Marks Newly- retired Head Master Gary Roberts expressed elation over the results achieved just before he gave up his post. “I feel good, elated because we had an improvement over the last couple of years, we kind of set new records, for the first time we had
that amount of grade 1’s in Mathematics and since I was coming off I was even more happy, I would have left a kind of legacy....I think I am more than elated,” he said. Top CSEC student Asher Marks who hails from the business stream told the Guyana Chronicle that his achievement of 7 grade ones and 4 grade twos can be deemed the fruit of hard labour. The lad cedited his performance to his ability to balance his time, attending a lot of lessons and studying hard. “I’m very happy that I have been able to accomplish this. This was a result of hard work and now I can prepare for the next road which is 6th form. He plans on returning to MHS to pur-
sue business subjects in the Caribbean Advance Profienciency Examination. The top student gave foremost thanks to God for bringing him through the journey. “I would like to thank God, my family, my teachers and friends for helping me through this journey,” he said. He encouraged the students now approaching 5th form to master the art of balancing time in addition to working hard and being determined to succeed. Other top students were: Tiffany Thomas also achieving 7 grade ones; Sheralyn Vangenderen; Risa Retemyer; Daycia Ceasar; Caleah Barker; Tricia Hutson; Myranda Johnny; Williamson Moonique and Kyresse Chapman.
Woman abuse directly linked to child abuse
Minister Lawrence pledges to stamp out sexual violence against children A PROMINENT member of the corporate community in Linden and astute Muslim Dennis Mohammed has urged Linden men to stop abusing women. He is of the view that this could help in eradicating child abuse in the mining town. Mohammed was at the time addressing the audience at the recently held rally against child sexual abuse and exclaimed that for us to get to the root of the problem of child abuse we must first strive to eradicate woman abuse. Mohammed firmly believes that the abuse of the child is directly linked to the abuse of the woman and since Linden was suffering from child abuse, it basically meant that domestic violence abuse figures were also high. “If we don’t stop the abuse of our beautiful women, we can never fix the abuse of the child….the
two greatest people in a man’s life is a mother who gives life and a wife who gives continuity of life.” Mohammed urged men to have more respect for their wives and in extension all women because such respect is paramount for a child to return that love to the man. “If I, as a man, fulfils all the duties towards my child and my child came home one night and sees me hitting on his mother, will that child love me still? So you can do all you can for your child, if you don’t show love to the mother, that child wouldn’t love you back,” Mohammed concluded. This type of abuse he said does not only encapsulate physical abuse but verbal as well which spiral into emotional and mental abuse. He said everyone should be involved in the eradicating process as it takes an entire village to raise a child.
Minister Volda Lawrence According to a study linking domestic violence to child abuse by the South Michigan University, there is a direct link between woman abuse and child abuse. According to the study, children may be victimized and threatened as a way of punishing and controlling the adult victim of domestic
violence or they may be injured unintentionally when acts of violence occur in their presence. The study went on to say that even when children are not directly attacked, they can experience serious emotional damage as a result of living in a violent household. “Children living in this environment come to believe that this behaviour is acceptable,” the study pointed out, revealing that the estimated overlap between domestic violence and child physical or sexual abuse ranges from 30 to 50 percent. “Neither domestic violence nor child abuse is an isolated event, both occur with some regularity, often increasing and becoming more serious.” According to Director of Child Services Ann Greene, the statistics show that Linden from January to July recorded 52 cases of child
sexual abuse while statistics coming out of E’ Division (Region 10) Head Quarters reveal that there were 44 cases of domestic violence for the year 2016 in Linden. With the belief that these figures are way too high, Minister Volda Lawrence pledged to stamp out sexual violence against children in Linden. She described the situation as urgent with the Child Protection Department having serious business to take care of. The Minister did admit that the Regional Office and the Ministry have shortcomings that she was trying to remedy. She said that there are far too few officers to deal with the many cases coming out of Region 10 but the Ministry was in the process of strengthening the Regional Office and to collaborate with NGOs and other stake holders. Workshops will be done with the NGO’s and other bodies to
train individuals to serve the abused professionally. Earlier in the month she also revealed that plans were in store for the establishment of a home to rescue abused women and children. Staff of the Child Services branch in Linden told the Guyana Chronicle that the move to have a children’s and women’s home will be much appreciated as there is currently no home in Linden to accommodate these individuals. In the eventuality of a child having to be placed into the custody of Child Services, the staff would place that child in the care of a responsible relative or in temporary foster care. The next alternative is to transfer that child to a children’s home in Georgetown. The same procedure occurs when a victim of domestic violence needs to be taken into custody.