GuySuCo’s medical personnel, social workers complete substance use training

DPI, GUYANA, Friday, January 26, 2018

A team of medical personnel and social workers from the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) are now certified to intervene and effectively respond to substance abuse cases.

At the closing ceremony at held GuySuCo’s staff club in La Bonne Intention’s (LBI), Minister in the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings encouraged the graduates to put into practice the skills they have garnered. She explained that substance abuse interventions are complex processes designed to rehabilitate a drug addict or an alcoholic, and the skills would be needed to assist family members in convincing the affected person that help is necessary, to address the addiction.

Meanwhile, Director of the Ministry’s Mental Health Unit, Dr. Util Richmond-Thomas stated that the training is in keeping with the Mental Health Unit’s 2018 plans, which includes a focus on alcohol and substance abuse.

Dr. Richmond-Thomas noted that primary care workers as a result of their job come contact with more than 70 percent of the population; placing them in a strategic position to identify and intervene with patients and clients who are substance abusers.

“They, therefore, have the opportunity to intervene at an early stage before serious substance-related problem to the necessary interventions to that level of disease,”  Dr. Richmond-Thomas said.

The training was a collaboration between the Ministry of Public Health and GuySuCo and saw participants from GuySuCo estates, including Rose Hall, Skeldon, East Demerara, Wales and Uitvught.

East Demerara Estate Manager, Kurt Victorine said the programme is a continuation of the partnership that Guysuco is forging with various ministries in Guyana as it goes through the restructuring of the corporation.

“This aspect of a three-prong programme is fitting into the social resilience aspect of our project. The other prongs are the economic resilience and the environmental aspect which falls under the community resilience programme,” Victorine outlined.

 

By: Ranetta La Fleur

 

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