Junior Minister of Health Dr Karen Cummings on Tuesday visited villages within the Mabaruma sub-region to ensure that measures are in place to protect the population against any risk of outbreaks that can result from the influx of Venezuelan migrants.
Cummings’ visit, according to a Department of Public Information (DPI) report, was said to also have been aimed at assessing the effectiveness of the health services being offered to the migrants.
Cummings explained that because of the porous nature of Guyana’s border, it is important that Region One be prepared and equipped to address any eventualities that can arise from the continuous arrival of Venezuelan migrants.
Furthermore, she noted that measures have to be implemented to protect the local community, especially women and children, from deadly illnesses and diseases.
The DPI report revealed that during her trip the minister engaged the Mayor of Mabaruma, Henry Smith, and Mabaruma’s Town Clerk, Barrington Wade. The officials reportedly related that the town council is collaborating with an established task force to house and provide for the migrants.
It was noted that at Khan’s Hill, Mabaruma, where the Minister met the Mayor and Town Clerk, approximately 103 indigenous Venezuelans have settled there.
In Smyth’s Creek, which is located along the Barima River, there has been a reported increase in the arrival of Venezuelan migrants who are seeking refuge, shelter and food. The last recorded number of persons in this area was 80. The influx of migrants within the community has led to the construction of sheds, likened to benabs, where the families are being housed.
Because the migrants are mainly of Warrau heritage, the town council has been exploring the possibility of developing five acres of Warrau lands to assist them, as the migrants are currently occupying residential lands and reserve spaces.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge recently said Guyana is intent on working with its neighbours and the international community to monitor and manage the health of Venezuelan migrants so that any possible pandemic can be nipped in the bud.
Currently, authorities are working to find all migrants so that they can be screened and registered since at this stage the Latin American and Caribbean Region views the prosecution of Venezuelans for immigration offences “dysfunctional and insensitive.”
Greenidge repeatedly stressed that government is working to find migrants and establish their status so that they can get the necessary health care.
