GECOM Registration Clerk, Shefern February;

PPP/C DELIVERING ON ‘PLAN FOR PROSPERITY’

Unit established to handle monkeypox cases

Aspecial unit has been established at the Guyana’s Infectious Disease Hospital, Liliendaal, to accommodate anyone who might be subdued to the global monkeypox virus locally.

The medical post will be outfitted with the necessary reagents and equipment, and full medical staff complement.

The approach is another massive step undertaken by the PPP/C Government, as it continues to be on high alert for any possible cases in Guyana.

Government has already trained a number of regional health officials at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory, to be better able to detect the infectious disease. "Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, said, “If they do have a case, they would have the right techniques of how to take the sample, how to store the sample, and transport the sample to the laboratory so that we can do the confirmatory testing at the National Public Health Reference Lab.”

He added that Guyana must be prepared to guard against the health emergency. “This is something that we have to pay a lot of attention to, and try to make sure it is contained,” the health minister asserted.

Additionally, the administration has established a steering committee as part of efforts to prepare for the monkeypox virus reaching here.

The Health Ministry is also looking to do a continuing medical education course for medical practitioners. This course will help participants with accessing updates on the latest statistics, information, and clinical presentation of the disease.

Minister Anthony said the course will help the doctors to know the correct procedure to make reports to the ministry, and how to properly detect any such case. “That how you deal with those types of emergencies you have to prepare. So, we have all the medical people trained, know what to look for and once we detect a case they’ll follow the protocol, Dr Anthony added.

Additionally, Guyana is working with the international community using a coordinated approach to tackle the infectious monkey pox disease in light of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recent announcement that it is now considered a global ‘public health emergency’.

The monkeypox is a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans. Globally, there are some 19,306 cases recorded.

The typical symptoms included a characteristic rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, muscle aches, headache and sore throat.

Dr Anthony stated that it is relatively easy to clinically diagnose someone who presents with a rash.

There has been over 2,096 new cases in the Americas, which reflects a 63.2 per cent increase from the prior week.

Brazil has reported some 690 cases of monkeypox, with 312 new cases last week Venezuela also recorded one case.

In the Caribbean, there are two cases in Jamaica, one in Barbados, one in Barbuda, one in the Bahamas, and another one in Martinique.

$30B to be spent on home construction for 4,500 families

Government will be utilising some $30 billion to construct 4,500 housing units for families in the lower to moderate income, and young professional brackets.

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal announced that 1,500 housing units will be constructed at La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara, Region Four, 1,000 at Leonora, West Coast Demerara, and 1000 at Wales, West Bank Demerara in Region Three.

Additionally, 1000 houses will be constructed at the new Silica City, to be established along Soesdyke-Timehri.

The initiative forms part of the PPP/C Government’s thrust of providing affordable housing to Guyanese through its turn-key initiatives, distribution of house lots, and other support in the form of access to financing and construction materials.

“Since the return of the PPP/C to government, we have re-energised the housing and construction sectors through the introduction of bold and aggressive home ownership initiatives at the policy level,” he said.

With the establishment of new housing developments, and the upgrading of existing areas, Minister Croal said over the past two years, over 12,000 Guyanese received house lots through allocation exercises, as well as the turn-key initiatives.

Under the turn-key programme, some 1,200 low, moderate and young professional units and core homes for the vulnerable group are being built in Regions, Three, Four, Six and Ten, 300 of which have been handed over to the beneficiaries.

The project to construct houses was conceptualised by His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan who had initiated the ‘turn key’ homes initiative when he served as housing minister prior to 2015.

Minister Croal said the intention is to distribute 22,000 lots to Guyanese by the end of 2022.

In keeping with its manifesto, the PPP/C Government is committed to delivering 50,000 house lots to Guyanese within its first term in office.

Eccles-Great Diamond highway progressing smoothly – Min Croal

Works on the Eccles to Great Diamond Four-Lane Highway on the East Bank of Demerara are progressing smoothly, according to Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal.

The contract for the $13.3 billion project was awarded to 12 contractors in December last year.

Minister Croal said notwithstanding the inclement weather, contractors are pushing to complete the first lot-Eccles to Providence, in time for the cricket finals slated for September at the Providence National Stadium. “We are hoping to be able to use that [Eccles to Providence Road] sometime in September when we have the carnival because one can expect the increased traffic during that period,” he said.

The project has been divided into 12 lots and includes the construction of more than 30 reinforced concrete bridges, 8.6 kilometers of reinforced concrete highway road and, two roundabouts.

The throughfare will connect to the already completed Mandela to Eccles Four lane road.

The minister explained that works are ongoing to complete the roundabout and the concrete drains of the Eccles Landfill Road which connects the highway.

Further, the dumpsite road, which leads to the industrial area, Providence and other housing developments, is part of one of the main connectivity for the Ogle, East Coast Demerara to Eccles, EBD roads and other major infrastructural projects.

Croal said, “That project is a very costly road… it is one of our main connectivity for our major infrastructure transformation and highway…that means that road will take on major importance.”

Minister Croal has announced that $20 billion will be spent on the expansions of major highways such as the extension of Aubrey Barker Road to Enmore, the extension of the Eccles Landfill and Schoonord to Crane roads.

These major infrastructural projects will be complemented by the $52 billion new Demerara River Bridge and the widening and expansion of the ECD Railway Embankment Road.

Once completed, the roads are expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion on the coast. It will also make way for the establishments of new housing developments and commercial zones.

Gov’t assisting No.5 Village pig farmers to improve production

Farmers rearing pigs at Number Five Village, Region Five, will soon receive major assistance from government to improve their production.

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, made the commitment when he met with a number of farmers in the community. He said about 40 pigs were distributed to farmers to develop their drove just two months ago.

According to him, the investment in the swine sector can have a major influence on the productivity and profitability of the local pig enterprise. “We can give you one or two pigs so that you can develop your hers and get better breed. We can do the help you with artificial insemination free of cost, so that you can get better breeds. I will ask Dr. Walrond to put together a programme for me to look at all the pig farmers in this community,” Minister Mustapha said.

The minister’s response followed several comments made by farmers, who pleaded for aid to improve their small-scale farming.

Artificial Insemination (AI) is the insertion and delivery of semen into the reproductive canal of a female pig. The minor animal surgery enables the accelerations of breeding, thereby allowing pork production costs to be reduced. According to research, AI is efficient in preventing the spread of both non-sexually transmitted diseases and other infectious diseases.

Meanwhile, Minister Mustapha commended the effort of the farmers, noting that the years-long culture of pig rearing in the Mahaica-Berbice district, will not be overlooked by the PPP/C Administration. “Rest assure we will work with you. We will help you as I said, we have a philosophy in our government that we will work and ensure that we ease the burden on the ordinary Guyanese,” he stated.

Moving forward, the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) will assess the number of pig farmers in the area, so that assistance could be equally distributed.

In a continued effort to expand the pig industry, government commenced work in 2021 to establish a swine abattoir.

And in collaboration with the private sector this year, the administration is also moving ahead with the establishment of a swine facility with the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) for breeding pigs.

Government is also working to establish a modern bio-secure swine facility to increase production to supply the swine facility. This will advance the value chain of pork and contribute substantially to food security, and will see a massive per cent increase in pork production to replace imports.

Meanwhile, farmers from the village will also receive additional assistance from the ministry to improve the drainage and irrigation network in the area. “I will send our technical people back in the area. Within a week, I will make available a machine to clear the dam and those areas that need drainage we will work with you to get those areas drained,” the Minister assured.