PM commissions Regional Health Training Centre in Barima-Waini

Prime Minister, Hon. Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips yesterday commissioned a new building, which will house the Regional Health Training Centre for Barima – Waini (Region One).

This is the first time that the region will have such a facility.

The building, which is located in central Mabaruma, is equipped with two furnished classrooms, including one smart classroom, an administrative office space, air conditioning and a furnished sitting area.

The first batch of 58 prospective community health workers will spend the next 14 weeks training at the facility, before returning to their respective communities in the region.

At the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Phillips delivered the feature remarks. He encouraged the trainees to take advantage of their opportunities so that when they return to their communities they can improve the health of the residents.

“You have a role to impart knowledge and place your community on a path to good health practices. If you are successful in this, it will mean that there will be less work for the doctors, because everybody will be moving towards practicing good health measures, which is a form of preventative medicine and that itself is a success story for a programme like this”.

The Prime Minister also encouraged the prospective community health workers to focus on their personal growth and career development.

“The next thing you must do after you have graduated this course, is to start and build your career in the health profession… many times, when I address young people, I realise that they are full of enthusiasm but when it comes to focus, they are a bit confused.  So, I’m taking this opportunity to ask you to stay focused in your approach to career development”.

Minister of Housing and Water, Honourable Collin Croal, who was also present, told the trainees that not only will they be required to serve upon returning to their communities, but that they will also be seen as a part of the leadership.

“You will all be required to go back into your community and serve, and when you go back into your community and serve, you will not only be seen as just a health worker, and that’s the uniqueness of hinterland communities, once you hold certain positions within the village, you are also seen as leaders of those villages. So, you will have villagers who will depend on you and ask or appoint you to represent them and their issues”.

Trainee, Rihanna Thomas of Wanaina Village, said that she is pleased that the training opportunity has come to her region, because she will get a chance to be trained in a field she loves.

“I got involved in the training because this is what I love and having a training centre here will ease a lot of expenses for me, because if I were to be further away from home and my family, I would have to spend more money”. 

Another trainee, Timaul Ruffino of Morawhanna Village, said that after leaving school, he had several jobs, but his passion was always health care.

 “When I left high school, I was in a number of jobs and I kept leaving them because I never found it interesting, I was doing it because of the money and it is a great pleasure for this programme to be introduced into the region because it is a great development for our health sector”.

Regional Chairman, Barima – Waini (Region One), Brentnol Ashley, and other regional officials were also present for the opening ceremony, which was held at the boardroom of the Regional Democratic Council in Mabaruma.