Dear Editor,
Although there is a health post at Saxacalli, a team from the West Demerara hospital visits on the second Tuesday of every month. Sometimes this team fail to turn up on schedule, so residents are left without any real health care for two months as the team only visits on the second Tuesday of the month. Many here have been hoping and praying for the proposed Covid-19 vaccine, which was promised by the Region 3 authorities. We were glad when our Health Worker received a call from her supervisor ordering her to compile a list of all who were willing to accept the vaccine. She prepared a list with twenty-five names of those who wanted the vaccine. The Health Worker was instructed that these persons should wait at the health post on the 11th of May. Before noon these people were suddenly awakened when it was announced by the Health Worker that the team will not be coming and the people whose names were on the list should return a month later. Although Saxacalli is in Region 3, Saxacallians visit the Bartica hospital which is in Region 7, because we are only twelve miles apart. Over the years we have been received by Region 7 health authorities and never turned away. Over time a few of us went to Bartica where we were vaccinated. Region 3 is always noted for its slackness. What transpired here can only happen in Amerindian communities. We are treated as second class citizens although we pay the same taxes as others. Since the failure of Region 3 to vaccinate, we now have two verified cases of the Covid-19 which might not have occurred if residents were vaccinated. Every day the Minister of Health is on the radio or television, talking, talking, but sadly most of it is just spit press.
Sincerely,
E. B. Lobert
Saxacalli
