Hinterland youth have opportunities in health

─ Public Health Ministry ensuring youths have equal opportunity to training, job opportunity

DPI, Guyana, Thursday, September 12, 2019

 Young men and women across Guyana, especially those who have graduated from school, can enroll in a training programme at the Ministry of Public Health. This initiative can guarantee them a job and a possible career in health.

The ministry, within the last few years, has focused on training of its staff and persons desirous of entering the health profession. These measures aim to ensure that healthcare delivery in Guyana is improved while strategically addressing human resource deficiency in the public health sector.

However, even as persons are encouraged to take advantage of the training opportunities in health, the ministry will also be zeroing in on the human resource potential of the hinterland regions.

A health team of doctors, a dentex, dentist and other specialists recently visited Sebai, a riverine community along the Kaituma in the Matarkai sub-region. Also, a part of this team was Public Health Minister, Hon. Volda Lawrence who engaged the youth population of the village.

“We have brought a dentist, who is performing dental services as we are here, but we want to train young people from this very community who can become a Dentex and come back and provide that service – not only for Sebai but for the other communities nearby and the other persons living along the river. That opportunity and so much more is available to you, and I trust that you take it.”

Sebai has a population of 610 persons, with the majority of those being young people. Explaining to the residents how they can benefit from training, Minister Lawrence said:

“Young people, you have an opportunity in the health sector – stay in school, study and you can join the health family be employed but, most importantly, you will be working in your own community… We want to train persons from the community so that you will have your very own healthcare professionals to take care of you.”

The minister admired the commitment of the village’s two Community Health Workers (CHWs) but encouraged them to seek to upgrade their career in the health profession. 

“We don’t want you to be CHWs all the time, we want you to move up and become, midwives and doctors.” 

It is the ministry’s vision to have healthcare workers in the hinterland, especially far-flung communities, to be persons who have been trained to render service to their own people. 

“If we train you, you will have the health interest of your community at heart and will be eager to come back to serve.” Minister Lawrence added.

Recently, the minister announced that the ministry will be waiving qualification requirements for hinterland prospects applying for Nursing and other training programmes offered by the ministry. This will allow for more interested persons to come forward and freely take advantage of training opportunities.

Most of these programmes would usually require five Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects inclusive of Mathematics and English at one sitting. This will not be necessary for applicants from Regions 1, parts of 2 and 6, and also from Regions 7, 8 and 9.

 

Editor’s Note: Dentex – A term used to describe dental nurses