Hope for The Nation donates medical supplies to Public Health Ministry

(MINISTRY OF PUBLIC HEALTH)– The charitable organisation Hope for the Nation Foundation Wednesday donated some G$60M in medical supplies to the Regional Health Services Department of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).

The supplies included examination gloves, identification wristbands mother/infant, convertor bouffant caps, foam pitchers, post- partum kits, gauge, disposable nasal mask, ICU medical 20 drop administration sets among a variety of other supplies.

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence (MP) lauded the local organisation for the medical supplies noting that “while the Government of Guyana continues to prioritise and mandate healthcare in its budgetary allocation, the donation from the Foundation will make a difference in the quality of health care provided to the people”.

“This is the type of partnership that the Ministry looks forward to with NGOs and other kind hearted persons because not only Guyanese come to give back but other persons come to assist us in one way or the other. It is these gestures that help us to add steps to the ones that has been outline to us through the budgetary process. This helps to take us a little further every time”, Lawrence said.

She said the multi-million dollar gift will aid her ministry bridge the gaps in the service delivery.

“It is these gesture that helps us to see our holes as reachable. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the staff of the Ministry of public health but more so on behalf of the doctors and the nurses and the supportive staff who will feel very happy to ensure that they have lots of equipment and supplies available to them so that they can be able to carry out their functions,” the Minister said.

The Minister thanked Pastor Otello Perreira, Secretary of the Foundation, with strong global ties, for reaching out to the Public Health Ministry noting that the agency is happy to be a ‘benefactor’ of such items.

Perreira explained that the Foundation is focused on fighting poverty, hunger and diseases hence collaborations with the Government Ministries and other agencies are vital.

“Our organisation’s desire and focus are to make Guyana a place that people want to be and that we can enjoy; so wherever there is a need, or wherever we can play a part to make that difference or bring that comfort or relief we are willing to collaborate with the teams and to reach out to those in need”. Perreira said.

Dr. Kay Shako, RHS Director in an invited comment said the supplies will be distributed to help alleviate problems in the most problemmatic areas, citing that the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), the country’s sole referral hospital, which is also a self-operating entity.

“The items will be distributed accordingly to the Suddie Regional Hospital, Region 2; West Demerara Hospital, Region 3 and the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, Region 4”,  Shako said.

Meanwhile, Terrence Esseboom, Head of Public Relations and Health Promotion at the Ministry of Public Health said that the Foundation is a very solid one with international ties that has done tremendous work across the country.

“The Hope for the Nation Foundation has been very influential in helping the Health Promotion Department of the MoPH. They have given us lots of food supplies and clothing that we take into the outline communities and people are very happy, so much that the demand is high”. Esseboom noted.

The Hope for the Nation Foundation is a registered non- profit organisation working closely with Cross international headquartered in the USA, and other charitable global organisations. The Foundation was founded in 2016 by Orin Varasum, a Guyanese by birth who now resides in Florida, USA.