Living your dreams!
− former beauty queen, now a medical doctor, is aspiring Pediatric Surgeon
− has a passion for health, love for children
DPI, Guyana, Thursday, November 21, 2019
When she was just twenty years old, Alana Ernest represented our country as Miss Guyana Universe at the fifty-fifth Miss Universe Pageant in Los Angeles, California, in the United States of America. Today, she is Doctor Alana Ernest providing impeccable health care services at the Lodge Health Centre in Georgetown as Doctor-in-Charge.
Employed with the Ministry of Public Health for the last three years, Dr. Ernest has done her part in ensuring the residents of Lodge and surrounding areas are provided with the best level of primary health care services.
The now 33-year-old General Medical Officer is not done with living her dreams, as she now envisions specialising in Pediatric Surgery. She is a product of the Guyana-Cuba Scholarship programme which has seen hundreds of Guyanese being given the opportunity to study medicine.
How did she switch gears from strutting her stuff on the stage to becoming a full-fledged medical doctor? Dr. Ernest said it all started from simple curiosity. “I was always curious, wanting to know when someone is sick what is happening to them, and when the decision is taken to treat them, what happens and from there that is where my curiosity grew.”
She intentionally sought to upgrade her skills to become a professional and provide a health-related need, especially to children as well as extend her service to other persons.
“I realised that I loved children, and I love surgery, so the best field for me was Pediatric Surgery. I had the opportunity to work in that department while I was on rotation for two years after my return from Cuba, and I totally enjoyed it.”
Dr. Ernest, who hails from Mahdia, is married and has a son. Dr. Ernest, who has enjoyed both worlds – a reigning beauty queen and now a medical professional – serves as a perfect example that young women can pursue their dreams in whatever field they choose.