Public Health Ministry, City Hall host medical outreach

The Public Health Ministry (MOPH) with assistance from a number of other Ministries, organisations and the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) on Saturday hosted a medical outreach, which provided free medical services to the public.
The Health Ministry collaborated with the Agriculture Ministry, the Education Ministry’s Department of Culture, Youth and Sport, as well as with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for the event.
Medical services such as blood pressure testing, eye care, blood sugar testing, BMI and nutrition counselling, VIA screening, mental health counselling and HIV testing were some of the services provided during the health fair and outreach programme.

Minister Lawrence chats with a member of the public during the medical outreach on Saturday at Stabroek Market Square

To be hosted in all 10 administrative regions in Guyana, the first was held at the Stabroek Market Square, Georgetown which saw a large turnout.
According to technical staff, Caroline Hicks, within the Public Health Ministry, even though there are numerous health facilities in Guyana, it is of the belief of MOPH to show interest to Guyanese by coming out and actually meeting with them.
“The Ministry took a big portion at the event because we want to ensure that our nation, our people as a whole are healthy. We have many health posts, health centres, hospitals and so on but we believe in coming out to meet the people because allowing them to come to our health facilities alone, we are not capturing the younger ones and men,” Hicks explained
Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence also visited the outreach on Saturday.
“We are going to be bring health to the people in all the various areas so this is just the beginning because we want people to be healthy in Guyana but we want to be able to educate them,” the Minister told the media.
Lawrence noted that the response was overwhelming and one that she is happy about.
Also at the event on Saturday was Director of Sport, Christopher Jones who said the initiative is a multisectoral approach at promoting good health in the nation.
The Mayor of Georgetown, Patricia Chase Green gave the initiative a thumb’s up.
“The Georgetown Municipality Public Health Section in collaboration with the Public Health Ministry is working to offer services to the public. People sometimes need on the spot medical attention so this health fair is really serving its purpose today and I hope that continuously along with the Public Health Ministry, we will be able to offer more,” she said.