Dear Editor,
The statement of Dr Madan Rambarran, Director of Medical Services, in relation to Vishwamintra Persaud reported in SN of November 13 must have every concerned parent, child and citizen in Guyana outraged, fearful and dismayed. It would appear that the murder of Neesa Gopaul, which exposed the glaring deficiencies in the system for the protection and safety of children, has been utterly unheeded by Dr Rambarran, the Ministry of Health and possibly the Guyana Medical Council.
Help & Shelter will actively and strenuously oppose and advocate against the continued employment of Dr Persaud as a medical doctor in Guyana. Dr Persaud was tried and convicted for the sexual assault of a young girl over the course of 3 years in the USA and was only caught because the child victim spoke out against her despicable abuse. As a result of his crime, Dr Persaud’s medical licence was revoked. Help & Shelter finds it completely unacceptable that a convicted child abuser should be allowed access to parents and children through his practice as a doctor. This would be putting the children of Guyana, especially the sick and vulnerable and their families, in serious harm’s way.
Help & Shelter also does not have any confidence in Dr Rambarran’s or the MOH’s assertions that “supervision” would address and prevent other possible sexual assaults of children taking place in or out of the hospital or other medical setting. This is far too much of a risk for the citizens of Guyana and is particularly offensive in its reckless minimizing of the physical and psychological harm that survivors of child sexual abuse have to live with for the rest of their lives. Contrary to what anyone may think, there is no cure for paedophilia and the rate of recidivism is high.
The employment by Dr Rambarran and the Ministry of Health of a known child sexual offender is in breach of the new Sexual Offences Act, which seeks to prevent the employment of convicted sexual offenders in jobs where they have access and are in positions of trust with respect to children. By section 19(1) of the act positions of trust include where “the accused looks after persons who are accommodated and cared for in one of the following institutions (i) hospital (ii) an independent clinic.” Further, section 35(1) states “Any conduct or act done by a resident or citizen of Guyana in a country or territory outside of Guyana shall be deemed to be a sexual offence under the law of Guyana if it (a) constituted an offence under the law in force in that country or territory (b) would constitute a sexual offence under this Act had it been committed in Guyana.”
The greatest of care must be taken to ensure that medical care does not result in human rights violations of the bodies and minds of innocent children. The MOH would do well to educate itself and all its practitioners about the provisions of the Sexual Offences Act, especially as doctors, Medexes and nurses are frontline workers in the prevention of sexual abuse and treatment of victims and survivors.
We call on the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation to make public the arrangements that are in place to ensure that no known sex offenders from any country are working in places where they could easily find other victims.
We also call on the Ministry of Human Services & Social Security to ensure compliance with all applicable laws relating to the protection of children who are in the care of the state, especially at the public hospitals.
Yours faithfully,
Danuta Radzik
Vidyaratha Kissoon
Josephine Whitehead
Help & Shelter
