“We’ve never had this before” – Toshaos praise rapid Govt response, effective support

Several Toshaos have recently come out and praised the quick Government response, especially within the Health Ministry, that it has been playing in their respective neighborhoods.

This information was revealed by the Health Ministry in recent side interviews with Toshaos at the just concluded National Toshaos Conference (NTC).
Highlighting a recent situation that happened just mere days ago Desmond James – Toshao of Redhill Village, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) expressed that he made a request for fogging machines after he had realised that there were a series of rain falls overtaking his village, in a matter of days he received the fogging machines for his community.
“Recently, I asked them if they can do fogging in our village because of the plenty rain falls in the village you know and just this morning I was told that they’re already in the village and it was just a few days ago that I made this request to the health ministry,” he gladly remarked.

Meanwhile, he highlighted other enhancements within the area.
“Then we have this telemedicine, Wi-Fi, we have storage for vaccine and all those things. We never had those things before. Recently, they constructed a small waiting room so patients can wait for the doctors and so forth.”
Meanwhile, sharing similar remarks being undertaken within the hinterland was Derek Williams, Toshao from Kamana, North Pakaraima also in Region Eight.
He highlighted the contrast in this government’s delivery of vaccines as opposed to the then government.
“As far as I can see with developments under this government administration, we have seen a lot of improvements like this in the health center as opposed to the previous administration, under that administration, we didn’t get the drugs available on time, but this time now, the drugs are available. So, there is an improvement in those. There’s never a shortage of the drugs.”
“Thank you to the Minister [Health] for working very hard in the interior parts and I would support this government, the President, to continue and we will fully support so that the development and the improvements continue.”
Not too far away chiming in his remarks, Toshao of Orealla Village, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Laurence Vandenburg expressed some of the major health initiatives undertaken by the government within his community.
“One of the major things we have seen recently is the upgrading of the Orealla Health Center. We had an extension to the building and within that extension, we have the doctor’s office, the pharmacy, and then we have an extra room there where they perform minor surgeries.”
Addressing transportation, he highlighted the work being done on the ambulance boats. “And we also have had the wharf being built in Orealla to accommodate the water ambulance. We have in Siparuta, we had some renovation done on the health center there and currently, they’re doing the walkway from the health center to the waterfront where they’re also constructing a wharf right there also.”
He added, “We had the majority of the stuff we needed and so that’s an improvement for us here in the village because we had to come out to the pharmacy and the co-op ambulance.”
He also added that the community got a baby warmer, a solar panel being installed on the health center in Orealla Village and they’ve had more drugs coming into the health center. In fact, this is only reports from the last time they checked and they weren’t short of drugs.
Senior Councillor for Quatata Village, Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo), Manuel Mandook, could not have shy away from giving his thoughts on the progression in his village as well.
“I am the Senior Councillor for the village. With the health, I am very happy about it because we have seen a lot of improvement in our health sector because we had a new—maybe about two years back I could say—there was a renovation of this health center and also we have two health workers and a nurse in our village. And also, in health, there are more medications in our village.”
He added that the health workers are working very well as there are more health workers working within the village.
According to him, before this, the community was more unsafe as it pertains to ensuring optimal health for everyone within the village.