I have been busy these past few days. Then came some interesting news that really bothered me. There is talk that Guyana can no longer continue the relationship it had with Cuba for training Guyanese in many fields.
This arrangement was entered into decades ago when Guyana needed to develop its skills. Many Guyanese travelled to Cuba to pursue studies in medicine, engineering, physiotherapy and other needed skills.
To this day, most of the doctors in Guyana are Cuba trained. In 1976, on October 6, 13 Guyanese died travelling to Cuba to pursue studies in many fields. They were blown out of the skies off the Barbadian coast.
Not long after, Guyana sent another batch. Dr George Norton trained as an ophthalmologist and Monica Odwin trained as an anesthetist. Those were only two. I remember because I taught them science when I was a teacher at the Bartica Secondary School.
Not long after, when I was a teacher in training, I met a friend who left the teaching profession to pursue medical studies in Cuba. His name was Aloysius Waithe. He later travelled to the United States to continue his practice.
The United States may have a problem with Cuba. That relationship between the United States and Cuba has been extended to the Caribbean region. There were reports that the United States Government approached some Caribbean countries to desist from the relationship they share with Cuba.
A similar request must have been made to Guyana although the government never said anything to the people. The nation did notice that the annual programme of the government sending Guyanese to Cuba on scholarships seems to have stopped.
The scholarships were offered to the Guyana Government and to the main opposition. I remember the case of a student returning to Guyana having failed to qualify as a doctor and the government insisting that he be allowed to register as a doctor.
The then head of the Guyana Medical Council, the daughter of the late Dr Gladstone Mitchell, declined. If my memory serves me right, her name was Dr Vivienne Mitchell. In the end, because of political pressure, she left for Jamaica where she still lives. One could not say that the Cuban-trained students were allowed to pass en masse.
While this was going on Guyana was benefiting from the Cuban Medical Brigade and the Chinese Medical Brigade. It would seem that this must come to an end even as the government is talking about building more medical institutions.
In fact, it has been a while since any of these brigades have come to Guyana.
I grew up hearing about cutting your nose to spite your face. Guyana is in this position. More Guyanese will die for lack of proper medical care.
There is a marked reduction in the number of government sponsored press conferences so one cannot get answers to this and other issues.
Another serious issue involves teenaged girls becoming pregnant. Just recently, a 14-year-old mother died after giving birth. She died in the care of her guardians. The post mortem stated that she was anemic when she died.
The laws of Guyana state that a child under 16 cannot consent to sex. Anyone engaging in sexual activity with a child under 16 commits rape. There was a time in Guyana when the age of consent was 13 but the law was modified.
So, when the news of the child’s death came out many wondered why there was no charge for statutory rape. There was no report of the hospital reporting the teenage pregnancy. There was certainly no report of a father.
The Ministry of Human and Social Services failed the child. And a rapist is free to roam and prey on another child. But more than that. There is no evidence of the Ministry providing any support to the child despite the vast sums of money voted in the budget.
However, action seemed to be swift in the case of the Child Protection Services. There was a shocking video of two women dragging a child by her arms and by her hair. Whatever the child did or was suspected to be doing does not warrant that treatment.
It wasn’t long before there was news about the two women being suspended. I know that sometimes suspension is not what it is supposed to mean. Two weeks ago there was a near miss in the skies above Guyana.
According to Minister Deodat Indar in response to a query by reporter Denis Chabrol, this incident should never have been made public. He said that Guyana had been receiving a lot of kudos for its air traffic services.
He then said that two of the air traffic controllers were suspended. But in reality one of those purported to be suspended would be acting Unit Chief when the Unit Chief proceeds on leave. The Unit Chief is supposed to work active traffic.
If the acting Unit Chief is under investigation for the loss of separation, that creates a complication. So this is a case of suspension and promotion. In reality the parties were simply removed from air traffic shifts.
And according to reports, there was another near miss after the one on February 16, last. Getting information is like getting a turtle beak open. The staff are scared because they believe that the authorities are monitoring their conversations.
On a lighter note, today marks 50 years of broadcast for my friend, Franklin Bobby Vieira. Bobby you have become a fixture in the broadcast landscape. There will be a belated celebration my friend. Happy golden anniversary.
