Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) representative, Dr Beverly Barnett has said that the Ministry of Health has had to find innovative ways in which to increase access to health for the population. She made these remarks at an appreciation and farewell ceremony hosted on Thursday at the Sleep In Hotel on Brickdam, by the Ministry of Health in honour of her completion of her tour of duty in Guyana.
A release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said that the Minister of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran lauded Dr Barnett’s work over the past two years, stating that PAHO was responsive to the needs of Guyanese.
Dr. Barnett expressed her appreciation to the Ministry of Health’s staff for their cooperation during her tour of duty.
She said, “When I came to Guyana I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but Guyana has turned out to be a very fascinating, challenging and interesting duty station for me, the sheer size of the country, the diversity of the country, the geographic differences, all of these things I find extremely interesting and the fact that the government of Guyana and the Ministry of Health have to find innovative ways in which to increase access of the population to health, not just health care but all aspects of health.”
Dr Ramsaran highlighted that PAHO has provided strong technical support for the maternal health care programme in Guyana. He added that during the celebrations for Vaccination Week of the Americas, the ministry had invited counterparts from Suriname to promote the cooperation of health between the two countries and PAHO played a major role in bringing the countries together.
The minister said that Guyana with the assistance of its technical support organisations, particularly PAHO, has done extremely well in the vaccination programme, as in other areas too. “We, for example have coverage of higher 90s, 95-96 percent coverage for the routine vaccines that would prevent childhood diseases, and at the same time we have successfully introduced the HPV vaccine and that was in no small measure due to the continued effort of the support by the PAHO and the personal involvement of Dr. Barnett,” he added.
GINA said that the minister also highlighted the development of Guyana over the years where education is now taken to persons in the Hinterland Regions. He recalled an incident where there was an outbreak of malaria in the hinterland and within 18-20 hours, PAHO and the ministry sent in a team in the region. He appreciated the fast response of the organisation.
Dr. Barnett has been appointed as a Special Advisor to the newly elected head of PAHO in Washington DC, USA.
PAHO Representative Dr. Beverley Barnett delivering remarks at her appreciation (GINA photo)
