Mabaruma Mayor Henry Smith yesterday warned that a health crisis may be looming in Region One given the large number of Venezuelans who are illegally crossing the border to seek medical attention and engage in trade.
Though acknowledging that Guyana has to show care towards its Spanish-speaking neighbours, Smith told Stabroek News that it must not come at the expense of the health and safety of locals.
“They can certainly bring diseases here… There are no checks and balances and lots of them have malaria and we were almost malaria-free here. I was there one morning and I saw them bringing a pig from Venezuela to sell. You see oranges coming, you got plants coming,” he said during an interview.
