Residents protest at Lethem over house lots, medical supplies

As the regional democratic council of Region Nine elected its representatives yesterday, several dozen residents of the border community and surrounding areas carried out a picketing exercise to voice their concerns on a number of issues affecting them.

Reports from the interior community are that around 9:30 am yesterday, residents, mostly women, gathered in front of the office of the ruling PPP/C and later proceeded to the office of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) to vent their frustration at several issues including, house lot allocation, lack of medical supplies and poor services at the Lethem hospital as well as the poor state of roads in the region and those leading to the area.

The residents also called on the authorities to realize the promises made by the government and the regional administration as regards the setting up of a fire station in the community as many recounted last weekend’s fire at the Immigration Office at the border with Brazil. The residents noted that ever since a major fire had ripped through the Wayka’s store in the community two years ago, there had been promises for the area, which is viewed as a vital economic link, to have a fire station.

Lethem protest: Residents of Lethem protesting issues affecting them in front of the Regional Democratic Council yesterday morning.

Lethem resident Clarence Beckles told Stabroek News from the community  that the residents assembled at Lethem early yesterday morning and many householders were eager to “protest for these issues which were reported in the press to be looked at”. He said the protest was aimed at the regional council and the region’s administrators, and he noted that Amerindian Affairs Minister, Pauline Sukhai, was in the area when the demonstration was in full swing.

Beckles said the house lot allocation issues were being pressed since persons in the community feel cheated, that Coastlanders and foreigners were being given preferential treatment where the allocation of lots at the Culvert City area was concerned. To date the Housing Ministry has not responded to the issue and attempts to contact Housing Minister Irfaan Ali for a comment were futile. Beckles said the residents were calling for the reformation of the Land Allocation Committee which was set up in the area years ago to oversee the allocation of house lots.

Another resident said yesterday that the Lethem hospital has been without “basic drugs” since a fire destroyed its pharmacy late last year. She told this newspaper yesterday that persons are being told to purchase items such as Panadol and other pain tablets at shops in the area.

She said too that the hospital’s administration leaves much to be desired since, “the Health Ministry placed two young Cuban doctors here, one is capable and the other one is a sweet boy doctor.” She said one of the doctors was recently removed from the region, adding that the individual acted as the community’s representative at regional health forums in the city.

“What the hospital needs is an administrator,” she said. “What we have is doctors and nurses coming in the region and they operate as they wish. There is no one person who is there as an administrator to run the so-called state-of-the-art hospital.”

Meantime, residents of the community told this newspaper yesterday that they will continue to protest issues affecting them and there are plans by the residents to travel to the city and picket the relevant institutions if their concerns are not addressed by the regional authorities.