Wakapoa residents seeking reinstatement of resident doctor.
The residents of Wakapoa, lower Pomeroon River are appealing to the government to have a former resident doctor reinstated. The community’s doctor was reassigned to Region Nine over a year ago. The community of Wakapoa is a combination of several islands and is located not more than two miles south of the Pomeroon River mouth.
The closest doctor from the community, is located in Charity, which is a forty-five-minute drive by boat.
Residents told this publication they will need at least $20,000 for transportation if there is an emergency. Residents believe that this hefty sum, could’ve been avoided, had the community’s doctor not be reassigned.
“When the doctor use to be here, almost all of we emergencies use to handle right at the health Centre here in Wakapoa. But like a year now they just move to doctor, we don’t know for what reason, but up to now we didn’t get back a doctor.” said one distraught resident.
Since the Wakapoa Community is located south/west in the Pomeroon, residents from surrounding communities also benefited from the health service provided in the community.
During the Regional Democratic Council’s statutory meeting on last Wednesday, the issue was raised by the Clerk of Council, Devenand Ramdatt. The matter was engaged further by the Regional Chairman, Ms. Vilma De Silva, and Chairman of the Region’s Health Committee, Mr. Arnold Adams.
The clerk explained that the move was made by Central Government, under the former administration. “It pains me to know that some of our doctors were asked to transfer for whatever reason we don’t know, I was never consulted, and I am saying to this house it is unfair for us in this region, and to this RDC, for us not to be consulted and for us not to be given justification why our doctors are removed,” Ramdatt said
The Clerk said, “The community is saying that they need back Dr Richard, and we must be in support of what the people’s requests are. Persons outside of this region- who don’t know how our people are affected- can’t make decisions for us, they have to consult us.”
The community already has the necessary accommodations for a doctor. The Clerk told the RDC that requests will be dispensed to the Ministry of Health, in an effort to have the doctor reassigned at Wakapoa.
