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PROMOTING CARIFESTA
GMTCS initiates photo exhibition highlighting indigenous craft
AS part of a drive to promote the Caribbean Festival of Creative Arts (Carifesta), the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society (GMTCS) yesterday initiated a photographic display to highlight and market Guyana's indigenous craft.

The initiative is a collaborative effort among governmental, non-governmental and private sectors, with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, GMTCS and Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel partnering to promote indigenous art.

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues, delivering the feature address at the launching, said the biggest challenge at the Ministry entails creating economic opportunities for the Amerindians because of their remote locations.

The minister added that the collaborative effort between her Ministry and GMTCS would benefit the Amerindian women by marketing their rainforest products.

Meanwhile, GMTCS Project Coordinator, Ms. Annette Arjoon, in her presentation, noted that it is a great opportunity to market non-timber products.

She posited that Guyana is one of the earth’s most significant regions both biologically and geographically, and shields 2.5 million square kilometres of tropical forest, largely intact, with vast untouched ecosystems.

As such, she underscored that Guyana retains 75 per cent of intact rainforests which is home to the nine indigenous people – the Arawaks, Akawaio, Arekuna, Carib, Warrau, Macushi, Wapishana, Wai Wai and Patamona, each with their distinct and unique cultures.

Ms. Arjoon acknowledged that the rainforest provides the indigenous people with all their needs, as they have a vast knowledge of how to use it to sustain life.

The GMTCS Project Coordinator pointed out that customs have passed on for thousands of years from one generation to the next, with one such skill being hand-crafted rainforest jewellery.

In addition, she opined that while deforestation accounts for one fifth of greenhouse gas emissions, this line of rainforest jewellery promotes an economic alternative to deforestation and demonstrates the value of standing forests.

She further disclosed that the products of the Amerindian Amazonian Artisans (AAA) support the preservation of Guyana’s rainforests as their sustainable use of their rainforest maintains the environment in its pristine state.

The exhibition will continue until Carifesta in August, and will change on a monthly basis to highlight and market the indigenous craft, while the facilitators of Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel provides a captive market for the products.

They will also be available at the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Handicraft Shop, and at Margarita's Gift Shop.

The richly designed handicraft can be bought for $1,500-$4,000, while the photos are on sale for $10,000. All proceeds will go towards developing Region 8 (Potaro/Siparuni) and Region 9 (Upper Takatu/Upper Essequibo), GMTCS Project Coordinator said. (Sarada Singh)

50 radar guns will enhance ‘Operation Safeway
POLICE Traffic Chief, Mr. Neil Semple has announced that with the introduction of traffic campaign “Operation Safeway”, there has so far this year been a significant reduction in road fatalities compared with the similar period in 2007.

He was speaking with reporters on Monday during the British presentation of 50 radar guns to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) at Houston, Georgetown.

He said that since the year began, 21 persons lost their lives as a result of road accidents, while the figure for the same period in 2007 was 48.

Mr. Semple noted that as far as traffic infringements are concerned, many repeat offenders include those who breach traffic lights.

“We have a shortage of ranks in the Traffic Department, but we have seen an improvement on the road and we are making use of the limited resources we have,” he explained.

The Traffic Chief said that before the British gift of 50 radar guns, the department had only six, and the new ones will enhance operations countrywide.

The zero tolerance traffic enforcement “Operation Safeway” implemented countrywide last month netted a total of 4,969 cases against defaulting motorists.

The more prevalent offences and cases made are as follows:-

            Breach of traffic lights -    69
            Speeding                                 -  531
            Overloaded minibus                 - 729
            Failure to wear seat belts -  291
            Dangerous driving                    -    44
            Tinted vehicle                          -    38
            Obstruction                             -  389
            Failure to conform to signs        -  413
            Failure to wear safety helmet   -  304
            Breach of road service license -  326
            Unlicensed driver                     - 334
            Breach of insurance                -  298
            Crossing double yellow line -  411

Daily reporting system to monitor infrastructural projects
FURTHER efforts are being made to enhance the monitoring and management capabilities of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications for infrastructural works undertaken countrywide.
At present, there is a daily reporting system for updates on the details and progress of works and issues facing all road and bridge projects being carried out by the Ministry’s executing arm, the Force Accounts Unit.

The reports are based on daily inspections by engineers of the Ministry and are presented to Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn. The same format is being applied to sea and river defence works of the Ministry, while consideration is also being given to employing the system for contracted projects.

The use of radio communication by engineers overseeing contracted works and the Ministry’s personnel is being explored in this regard.

In November, 2006, Minister Benn outlined a comprehensive programme to improve monitoring and management of the Ministry’s works. Included in this plan was the development of a database in a manual format, initially with an outline of pre-arranged schedules for inspection and appropriate mechanisms for reporting.

Other aspects of the plan include a centre for inputting information and a system that would document the identified areas of focus, the cost and time-frame. This would also assist in determining the availability of resources and whether the work needed to be done is beyond the scope of the Ministry’s personnel.

During 2003 to 2004, Government hired consultants from Agile Assets Limited, a company based in Texas, United States, establish a database listing the conditions of the declared public road networks and to develop a Routine Maintenance Management System (RMMS).

Contracts have since been awarded for maintenance of such infrastructures, which include the Essequibo Coast, East Coast, East Bank and West Coast Demerara roadways and the Linden/Soesdyke Highway

Additionally, a Safety Engineering Programme was designed following a study of fatal accidents along the entire road network, and which underscored the most dangerous sections. The study conducted in 2004 outlined the need for remedial engineering work to improve safety in each section and programmes were designed to meet that need.

Among the activities that have since been undertaken in this regard are installation of reflectorised spikes, street lights and pedestrian sidewalks in selected areas.

Road signs, markings and pedestrian crossings are also included.

Guyana and Suriname would gain little from deforestation billions
- new study
OSLO, Norway (Reuters): A slowdown of deforestation from the Amazon to the Congo basin could generate billions of dollars every year for developing nations as part of a UN scheme to fight climate change, a study showed on Monday.

But nations such as Guyana or Suriname, which have maintained high forest cover, or others like Costa Rica and Chile, which have slowed or reversed deforestation, would gain little.

Burning of forests by farmers clearing land accounts for 20 percent of world greenhouse gas emissions. A 190-nation UN climate conference agreed in Bali, Indonesia, in December to work on ways to reward countries for slowing deforestation.

"Even with quite conservative assumptions, you can generate substantial amounts of money and emissions reductions," said Johannes Ebeling of EcoSecurities in Oxford, England, of a study with Mai Yasue at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

They said a 10 percent decline in the rate of tropical forest loss could generate annual carbon finance for developing nations of between 1.5 billion and 9.1 billion euros ($2.4 to $14.30 billion) assuming carbon prices of five to 30 euros a tonne.

Such curbs would represent about 300 million tonnes of avoided carbon dioxide emissions a year -- about the amount of heat-trapping gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels, emitted by Turkey, or half the total of France.

The United Nations wants reduced emissions from deforestation to be part of a new long-term climate treaty beyond 2012 to help avert more droughts, heatwaves, outbreaks of disease and rising seas.

Ebeling told Reuters that any credits for avoided deforestation would have to be matched by tough restrictions elsewhere, for instance forcing coal-fired power plants or cement factories to pay for right to emit carbon dioxide.

The study, published in the British journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, said there were big challenges in designing a fair system.

So far, most focus in the UN debate had been on rewarding countries with high deforestation rates -- such as Brazil and Ecuador -- for slowing the losses.

There were also problems such as judging the rate of deforestation or creating controls to ensure that protecting one forest does not lead to logging or clearance of another.

And some poor countries that could benefit -- such as Liberia or Myanmar -- may simply lack controls needed to regulate land use.

Still, Ebeling said he was optimistic a system could be worked out because of a widening political willingness to address deforestation as part of a new treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2013.

Stakeholder forum discusses constitutional reform
REPRESENTATIVES from 32 civic organizations from various regions across the country met last Saturday at the Demerara Life Conference Room, Georgetown, to continue work on critical issues identified in the earlier Forum on Solidarity and Effectiveness (FES) and to advance the stakeholder process.

A release from the Guyana Human Rights Association said the regions that participated were 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 10 and among the issues discussed were the constitutional reform which was adopted as the centre-piece of the Stakeholder Process on March 12 last and a review of the Stakeholder agenda that agreed on implementation within 90 days.

The following decisions emerged from the FES review:

1. the Stakeholder process, despite its limitations, provides an opportunity to test the right of citizens embodied in Article 13 and entrenched in Article 149C of the Constitution to participate in decisions which affect them;

2. the Parliamentary Parties had failed to engage civil society stakeholders in their attempts to resolve differences over amendments to the motion proposed to the National Assembly;

3. the parliamentary impasse should be viewed as a failure to place sufficient attention on managing a new process rather than on a flawed stakeholder process;

4. any new initiative to activate the principles embedded in Article 13 will be faced with similar challenges of grafting these principles onto the existing parliamentary system.

Alluding to the substance of the Stakeholder Recommendations, the FES agreed on:

1. a review of the specific tasks required to implement the Committees and Commissions as currently set out in the Constitution.

2. the establishment of a working group to identify substantive issues in the present formulation with respect to “principles, powers, structure and membership which may be at variance with proposals recommended to Parliament by the Constitutional Reform Commission and the group will report back in two weeks time.

3. the convening of another FES Forum within the next month to consider proposals by the Working Group and submission of agreed recommendations to Parliamentary Parties through the Stakeholder process. The Parliamentary Parties would then have one month of the original 90 days to complete its work in Parliament.

Other priority matters arising from the March 1 FES meeting included a report by the Working Group on Community Policing, on its participation in the meeting called by the Minister of Home Affairs, to review the work of the Community Policing Groups (CPGs).

The FES Working Group which now numbers 10 civic organisations made a submission on Community-Based Policing and the group will be having discussions with the national body of CPGs.

Additionally, the FES has committed itself to support and lend solidarity to the work of member organisations engaged in humanitarian activities in communities directly affected by the security crisis.

Also, a delegation will meet later this week with the Joint Security Coordinating Council to discuss ways of improving the effectiveness of these interventions.

The sponsoring organisations of FES are the African Cultural Development Association (ACDA); Amerindian Peoples Association (APA); Clerical & Commercial Workers Union (CCWU); Guyana Council of Churches (GCC); Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA); Institute of Development Studies (IDS); National Association of Agricultural, Industrial & Commercial Employees (NAACIE); and Red Thread.

$248M capital programme for Region Two
THE Region Two Administration will spend some $248M under its capital programme this year.
According to a release from the Administration, some $94.5M of the sum will be spent in the drainage and irrigation sector to boost agriculture production.

The release said $41.7M will be spent to rehabilitate access dams at West Bury, Stephney, Cross-Henrietta, La Belle Alliance, Devonshire Castle, Dartmouth, Bush Lot, Anna Regina and Lima.

The dams will provide better access for farmers to transport their produce from farm to market.

Another $27.5M will be spent to construct concrete box culverts at Reliance, Henrietta, Lima, Better Success and Coffee Grove, while $8M will be spent to construct tail walls at Huis t’ Dieren, Walton Hall and South Better Hope.

The release said irrigation checks and lifting systems will be constructed at Walton Hall, Sand Reef, Maria’s Delight, Richmond, Lima and La Belle Alliance.

Concrete bridges will also be constructed at Richmond Housing Scheme, Henrietta Middle Street, and Charity.

Some $10M will be spent on the projects under building. A sum of $13M will be spent to construct a new public health building at Suddie and rehabilitate the Paediatric Ward at the Suddie Public Hospital.

The release said under buildings (Education) another $26M will be spent to construct nursery schools at Aurora, Somerset and Berks, and St John’s in the lower Pomeroon River, and also to complete construction work on the Fisher Primary School at Golden Fleece.

Under buildings (Administration) $5M will be spent to rehabilitate the government State House at Anna Regina and the Regional Accounting Unit.

The Administration will also spend some $46.4M to upgrade streets with chip seal at Anna Regina, Richmond and Henrietta, and upgrade streets with crusher run, sand and loam at Paradise, Columbia, Reliance and Hampton Court.

Under land development, a further $20.2M will be spent to upgrade streets with chip seal at Henrietta, Lima and Reliance.

Under land and water transport, some $7M will be spent to purchase a reconditioned Land Cruiser, a 200 hp outboard engine and a 20 foot wooden boat.

The release said under furniture and equipment for the Education Department, some $7M will be spent to purchase desks and benches, filing cabinets and other furniture.

A sum of $9.8M will also be spent to purchase a hematology analyser, blood bank refrigerator, orthopaedic beds, and a portable oxygen unit with cylinder, all for the Suddie Hospital.
A sum of $9M will also be spent to purchase a bitumen kettle and tractor-driven slasher.

HIV/AIDS would reduce local workforce by 10.5% by 2020 - Labour specialist projects
By Tajeram Mohabir
INTERNATIONAL Labour Organisation (ILO) Specialist for Employers’ Activities, Ms. Luesette Howell, is projecting that the HIV/AIDS virus is projected to reduce the local labour force by some 10.5 per cent by 2020.

Ms. Howell made the disclosure at a recent forum held at the Cara Lodge Hotel on Quamina Street, Georgetown to sensitise employers on the importance of an HIV/AIDS workplace programme.

According to Ms. Howell, the epidemic is expected to substantially trim down the Caribbean labour force in another 12 years with The Bahamas being reduced by nearly four per cent; the Dominican Republic by over six per cent and Haiti just under nine per cent.

She pointed out that the labour force worldwide in high-prevalence countries is likely to lessen by 10 to 30 per cent in the next decade.

She also stressed that the disease will negatively affect employers by resulting in the loss of skilled and experienced workers, absenteeism and early retirement, stigmatisation of infected workers, increased labour costs for employers from health insurance to retaining, reduced productivity, contracting tax base and downturn in economic growth.

Other constraints Ms. Howell highlighted include:

* discouragement in investment and undermining the development of enterprise;

* undermining social protection system;

* loss of family income and house hold productivity, exacerbating poverty;

* increase in female-headed households;

* early entry of children into active employment, thereby exacerbating the problem of child labour and poverty and

* pressure on girls and women to survive through sexual favours.

The labour specialist underscored that the ILO through its HIV/AIDS workplace programme seeks to accelerate response in the fight against HIV/AIDS through a collaborative efforts involving government, employers and workers.

Some of the ILO’s initiatives to tackle the scourge include expanding workplace education, reducing employment-related stigma and discrimination, increasing access to prevention, care, support and treatment services and encouraging the adoption of national workplace training programmes.

The local business community with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Health having recognised that Guyana has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the Pan Caribbean region, has provided a robust and rapid response to help mitigate threats to its workers’ health.

During the past three years, USAID and the Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction and Prevention Project (GHARP) have helped bring together 42 organisations that are now engaged in a variety of efforts to address HIV/AIDS not only in the workplace, but the community.

GHARP and its partners have helped organisations access tools and support in a number of ways, including:
* in-house workplace training;
* workplace policy and implementation;
* peer education;
* in-house committees and events;
* linkages to related programmes, products and services such as voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), condoms, home-based care, treatment, etc and
* communication activities related to prevention and awareness of HIV/AIDS.

Dr Jagan’s lessons can be used to help face challenges
-President Jagdeo
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo has urged Guyanese to use the lessons taught by the late President, Dr Cheddi Jagan, to confront the challenges facing Guyana and the Region.

The Head of State was speaking at the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Fun Day at State House in honour of Dr Jagan on Sunday evening.

“We (government) can never promise there wouldn’t be challenges but if we look at the resilience of Cheddi Jagan, many of the lessons that he taught then, we can face these challenges well together and ensure that our country moves forward and that this place becomes better for all of our people.”

The President explained to the large gathering that crime and high food prices continue to plague the Region and it is a time when collective efforts must be taken, pointing to the recent Heads of Government Security Meeting held in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) at the weekend.

He said several pertinent decisions were taken at the meeting to bolster crime fighting including the introduction of legislations.

“They (CARICOM) agreed to a set of measures which were unknown in the past but which are important in the arsenal in the fight against the criminals, for example, wiretapping legislation, plea bargaining, a CARICOM polygraph unit to make sure that polygraph members of the law enforcement agencies prevent corruption,” he explained.

The President asserted that in relation to Guyana, the criminal gangs that carried out the two massacres at Lusignan and Bartica will be hunted down.

“We will not rest until we get them, continue to hunt them forever because what they have threatened is the way of life. They have threatened progress, development and we have to collectively raise our voices, especially against those who seek to justify their (criminals’) actions.”

Guyanese were also urged to understand the challenges facing the country and to this end, he said they must stick together.

“You had food riots in Haiti; four people were killed…Cost of living is rising across the world; it is causing a major impact on food prices. In Trinidad and Tobago they looted flour trucks, a country that has a huge oil economy that is making so much money today.”

“So we have to ensure this doesn’t adversely affect our people. It’s going to be a challenge but we have to deal with it because the rest of the world is facing that challenge too,” the President posited.

The Fun Day was the culmination of several events held in honour of the late President. There were several booths showcasing art and craft, books and other literature on the struggle for democracy and the development of the various sectors. There were also games and live performances by local artistes. (GINA)

Prashad refutes Nascimento’s tourism crisis claim
MINISTER of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Manniram Prashad, on Monday refuted claims by Kit Nascimento, a member of the chairing committee of the Tourism Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) who stated that Guyana’s tourism industry is in a crisis.

Nascimento’s criticism on the tourism industry was made at the annual tourism award ceremony of (THAG) last Friday.

Prashad said Nascimento’s comments on the arrival figures for this year were nothing but blatant lies on the industry. He said Nascimento stated that the number of tourists has been significantly reduced due to violence that has beset the nation.

The minister compared last year’s arrival figures with that of this year and noted that there was not much of a decline.

“We had no rapid decline in the arrival of visitors, last year during the period of March. We had 18,649 visitors last March and during March this year we had 18,626. We also have new airlines coming to Guyana, which will be a boost for the tourism industry. Of course there is crime, but Nascimento’s negativity on the tourism industry is not doing good,” Prashad asserted.

During the annual awards ceremony, Nascimento criticised the tourism industry and did not give the minister an opportunity to respond.

According to the minister, Nascimento’s criticisms were totally unnecessary, especially during a tourism award ceremony and in the presence of internationally known Guyanese artiste and raconteur, Dave Martins who was the guest speaker at the dinner.
However, the minister said Martins speech was a rebuttal to what Nascimento said.

Maharaja Oil Mill advances aquaculture growth in Guyana
GUYANA’S aquaculture sector is growing steadily – fish are being cultivated, sold and exported – and more and more farmers are expressing interest in becoming involved.

With the increase in interest comes an increase in demand for two of the most essential components for aquaculture farmers – proper feed and a stock of fingerlings (young fish roughly the size of a finger) to grow.

Recognising the increase in demand for these fundamental elements, Maharaja Oil Mill of Cove and John, East Coast Demerara, has focused their business venture on creating the supply.

According to a statement from the National Aquaculture Association of Guyana (NAAG), Maharaja Oil Mill is already the main fish feed supplier in Guyana and they recently completed the first phase of an aquaculture tilapia hatchery.

Phase one of Maharaja Oil Mill’s expansion consisted of building several preliminary brooding tanks that will be used to house a pure strain of supermale tilapia. Supermales are a strain of male fish that have two ‘Y’ sex chromosomes instead of the normal ‘XY’.

Because of this, they produce only male offspring, which are preferable to aquaculture farmers because they are a faster growing fish and eliminate the time-consuming and costly need of separating the fish sex by hand.

The offspring from the brooding stock of supermales will then be transferred to nursing ponds where they will be grown to approximately 25 grams in size.

At this point they will be large enough to sell to aquaculture farmers that are in need of fish to stock their aquaculture ponds.

Manager of Maharaja Oil Mill, Satesh Persaud, is a member NAAG and has been an advocate for aquaculture in Guyana for some time.

Mr. Persaud first became involved in the emerging industry of aquaculture by developing fish feed.

Fish feed is the greatest expense for farmers involved in aquaculture in Guyana and it was previously only available for purchase at a high cost from outside countries.

NAAG identified Maharaja Oil Mill as a facility capable of producing feed locally, and thanks to support provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Guyana Trade and Investment Support (GTIS) project, Mr. Persaud was able to purchase feed dryers.

The mill is currently producing a high-protein fish feed that is being used by nearly all of the NAAG supported aquaculture farms and is vital to aquaculture development in Guyana.

Mr. Persaud has plans to further expand his hatchery to provide a greater yield of fingerlings to facilitate the growth of aquaculture in Guyana.

Nowratri
The Guyana Sevashram Sangha-Cove and John Ashram will be observing Nowratri on April 10, 11 and 12, beginning at 18 hrs each day.

According to a release, Nowratri is a special period in the Hindu calendar for fasting, prayers and worship of God in the form of the Divine Mother for nine nights which began Sunday last and will be concluding on Sunday, April 13.
An invitation has been extended to the public to participate in the observance.

Ramnavami
The Guyana Sevashram Sangha – Cove and John Ashram will be observing Ramnavami celebrations on Sunday from 10 hrs – 18 hrs on the lawns of the ashram.

According to a press release, the occasion commemorates the birth anniversary of Lord Rama and it is a very auspicious time for fasting and performance of prayers and puja to Lord Rama for purification of body and mind.

The release added that there will be chanting from the Ramcharitmanas and performance of puja.
An invitation has been extended to all Hindus to participate in the festival.

High attendance at CARICOM Quizmasters workshop
THIRTEEN Member States were represented at the workshop organised for quiz masters by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in preparation for its second regional school quiz to mark the 35th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas.

Sponsored by the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) in collaboration with CARICOM and the Government of St Kitts, the one-day workshop held on 4 April 2008, at the Ocean Terrace Inn in Basseterre, St Kitts, was designed to build the capacity of quizmasters to conduct competitions in CARICOM Member States and Associate Members.

Thirty-four quiz masters participated in the workshop and expressed their commitment to conducting the national leg of the quiz, according to a statement from CARICOM.

Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Denzil Douglas, who greeted the workshop, welcomed the participants to the twin islands and expressed his pleasure at hosting the workshop, noting that the second regional quiz is a welcome activity of the Community.

He pledged his country’s support for the quiz and charged participants to take their responsibilities seriously and to work assiduously to ensure that the second staging of the quiz is as successful as or even more successful than the first staging to mark the 30th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas.

The CARICOM Regional Quiz Competition is aimed at increasing the knowledge of students on the Caribbean Community and the integration movement in areas such as the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME); the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ); ongoing work in Human and Social Development such as the Pan Caribbean Partnership (PANCAP) against HIV/AIDS; the development of strategies to cope with climate change; CARICOM in the Information Society and CARICOM’s interface with the international community.

Participants for the Quiz will be drawn from among middle grade students of secondary schools.

The quiz is being organised in four stages: the preliminary rounds at the national level, the zonal rounds; the semi finals and the regional finals.

The play-offs for the national competitions are slated to commence in May in order to determine those students who will proceed to the zonal rounds.

These competitions will be organised and conducted by relevant national agencies in tandem with the trained quiz masters.

At the zonal level, the Region will be divided into three geographic zones.

Each grouping comprising approximately five countries will compete against each other on a round-robin basis over four days, between late May and early June.

The Semi-Final and Final Rounds of the Competition are scheduled to take place in late June 2008, in order for the winners to be presented at the 29th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in July 2008.

New developments for Enmore Polyclinic
THE Ministry of Health plans to provide more services at the Enmore Polyclinic before the end of the year.

The staff of the clinic and residents of the community were informed of this as Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, addressed them at a function held on Monday in observance of World Health Day.

With the threat posed by dengue as a result of climate change, there will be an expansion of the Ministry’s bed net programme.

The Enmore clinic will provide long-lasting impregnated nets for all pregnant women before delivery. This will become a part of the anti-natal programme.

Dr. Ramsammy said, “To this end another $20 million will be spent to provide a safer environment for children.”

Currently, bed nets are distributed mainly in hinterland regions and in some communities on the coastland in homes with pregnant women and families with young children.

Additionally, a programme will be started this year to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment for young women infected with the Human Papiloma Virus which causes cervical cancer.

The VIA treatment has been introduced at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), and staff are currently being trained around the country to introduce the treatment.

“In 2008, VIA will be introduced at Enmore Polyclinic,” Minister Ramsammy said. The clinic will be held once per month.

The Enmore clinic will also benefit from the introduction of an eye clinic where an optometrist will visit every two weeks to do eye examinations and give prescriptions for glasses.

Additionally, the human resource capacity of the clinic will also be enhanced.

Chief Executive Officer of GPHC, Dr. Michael Khan, said a registered nurse will be stationed at the clinic from May 1 to supplement the work being done by nurses and midwives at the clinic.

The Polyclinic has been an important extension of the GPHC in helping to promote quality health care for persons of Enmore and surrounding communities.

The clinic offers a range of services including dental, voluntary counselling and testing for HIV, and family planning at the maternal, child and health department.

There are also diabetic and hypertension clinics.

The function of the diabetic and hypertension clinic has proven to be a needed service in the community.

Last year, 4,477 diabetic patients visited the clinic, while 1,866 hypertensive patients were registered.

For 2007, the clinic treated 29,679 patients, an increase of 9,565 more than in 2006.

The Enmore Polyclinic was opened on March 22, 2002. (GINA)

Injured photographer asking police to look into his matter
A PHOTOGRAPHER suffering a broken leg and warded at the Georgetown Hospital following an accident on Vlissengen Road two Sundays ago claims that six days after being injured he has not yet had the opportunity of giving a statement to the Police.

The motorist said to have caused the accident was taken into custody by the police, detained for one night and released the next day.

The injured man, Selwyn Julien, 23, a photographer who owns a photo studio at 96 Regent Street, Lacytown in the city, would like the Police Traffic Department to know that he was injured in the accident and is currently warded at Ward A1 of the GPH.

He is asking the Traffic Chief to use his good offices to have a rank visit him in hospital so the matter could be followed up.

Speaking from his hospital bed Friday, Julien recalled that around noon on the day of the accident, he was riding his motorcycle south along Vlissengen Road, en route to the Botanical Gardens, when he was struck down by a blue wagon heading in the same direction.

Julien said he was driving on the left hand corner of the road, and the wagon was to his right, when suddenly the man at the wheel darted across his path, knocking him off his machine. He suffered a broken left leg, and his vehicle was badly damaged.

Julien recalled that the driver who hit him, attempted to drive away without stopping to find out what was wrong with him. He said it was only when irate witnesses pressed him that the driver stopped.

He said the man who knocked him down visited him in hospital the day after the accident offered to settle the matter out of court, compensating him for his injuries and for damage to his motorcycle

Julien said the man visited him subsequently, but spoke nothing about compensation, and was even hostile towards him.

Julien is worried about his business being closed for over a week, and all the jobs he is missing.

Banks sprucing up for Carifesta
BANKS DIH Ltd has unveiled a massive Tri-Vision billboard to enhance the ambience of the lower East Bank Demerara for the 10th Caribbean Festival of Creative Art (Carifesta) to be held here in August.

The sign commissioned at Banks DIH Thirst Park is 54 feet high and 20 feet wide, with the company’s three popular brands: Coca Cola, Guinness, and Banks Premium Beer.

“We intend to be at the forefront of Georgetown’s beautification programme and would also like to encourage all Guyanese to join in with the organizers to ensure that Carifesta X turns out to be a resounding success,” the company said in a release.

The release stressed that the beverage giant is supporting the mega event in a major way, through private and public sector partnerships, with the staging of cultural and entertainment programmes during the celebrations.

Banks DIH Ltd has already presented the Mayor and City Council with several benches to be set up around the city during the festival.

The company underscored: “The inaugural Carifesta was also important to Banks Beer, one of our flagships products that made a distinctive mark at the festival 36 years ago…we wish to assure you that Banks DIH Ltd will be in the forefront of activities for Carifesta X”.

The billboard was designed by DD Signs and installed by Infab Inc.

Climate change poster competition launched
THE Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), has launched a health and climate change poster competition for secondary students as part of activities for World Health Day observed Monday.

Coordinator of the competition, Ms Suelle Williams, speaking at a World Health Day workshop convened at the Cara Lodge Hotel on Quamina Street, Georgetown, pointed out that the initiative aims at promoting awareness of the natural phenomenon.

She explained that students’ submissions must relate to the theme of World Health Day: “Protecting Health from Climate Change”.

The objective of the exercise is to promote adaptation and mitigation measures and to raise awareness of the impact on health caused by the rapidly changing global weather patterns.

The winner of the competition will receive a voucher, compliments of PAHO, and the poster will be distributed to schools countrywide.

Artists with exceptional posters will also receive vouchers, Ms Williams said.

Interested students are asked to submit their work to the Ministry of Health, Adolescent and Young Adult Health and Wellness Unit, 1 Brickdam Georgetown.