The early years
Local rehabilitation services began 71 years ago in then British Guiana in a small room under the X-ray department at the Georgetown Public Hospi-tal (GPH). It was run by three physiotherapists, including Janice Simmons, Principal Physiotherapist, and Jackie Fung-Thompson.
With the need for more human resources in this service recognised, an advertisement was later placed to invite qualified persons to undertake a Physiotherapy Training Programme in the United Kingdom. This sparked the interest of two of the now backbones of the Guyanese rehab community, Hyacinth Massey and Geraldine Mason-Halls. Both of these scholars came back to Guyana to join Simmons and her team in the expansion of local physiotherapy services.
