Low fines, lack of qualified persons as well as the absence of an abattoir on the Corentyne are some of the issues affecting the work of the Environmental Health Department in Region Six, according to the Region’s Environmen-tal Health Officer Marvin Dindyal.
“Some of the fines under the Public Health Ordinance can be $24, $54 and that’s the ordinance we operate with to date and that poses a very huge constraint,” Dindyal told the Government Information Agency (GINA) in an interview. He said that persons with large poultry businesses, who are in violation of public health laws, are only paying minimal fines, GINA reported.
In addition to the low fines, the Public Health Department also suffers from a poor staff structure. According to Dindyal, the department lacks qualified persons who can lead successful prosecutions against persons violating the law, GINA said.
This has resulted in unqualified officers defending themselves in legal matters, with more cases being lost. According to GINA, Dindyal explained that he and the other staff are pleased with their efforts but had there been more trained, public health prosecutors, there would have been more wins than losses.
The ability to carry out inspections of meat for human consumption is another challenge facing the department.
According to Dindyal, the mid-Corentyne critically needs an abattoir as it is tedious to supervise the slaughtering of animals and ensuring that the meat is suitable for consumption before it hits the market. He explained that sometimes, animals are killed and carcasses are not inspected but the meat is sold to the public.
GINA said that the Neighbourhood Democra-tic Councils (NDCs) of the county are reluctant to pursue prosecution. This impacts the department since the laws require the head of the local sanitary authority to work within the confines of the NDC, GINA said.
Regardless of the challenges the department face on a daily basis, it continues to persevere and strives for excellence, Dindyal said.
