Horse Falls on Vaquero at Katoka.

Community Health Worker Jeff Marco gestures while helping manage the potential spinal injury adjacent the airstrip of his own village.

Katoka residents, with assistance from RAM Guyana, built the airstrip on a hill near the village some years ago. Access to emergency medical services is dramatically improved when a fifteen minute flight replaces many hours by boat and trail to the nearest hospital. The airstrip is maintained by villagers and hand tools with no government or financial assistance.

The neighboring community of Simooni has been identified as another priority location for RAM's next airstrip development project.

The injured Vaquero, or bearfoot cowboy, had recently delivered some live beef for a village feeding program, when his horse toppled and ended up falling on top of him. Transporting a spinal case in the RAM aircraft is straightforward with the removable seats and double clam-shell doors on the Cessna U-206 air-ambulance.

RAM Team Action in Pictures

Dr Jim Shipley attends to a baby from Kwaimatta Village.

 Volunteer Paul Maresca pictured at work in Katoka Village. 

The RAM medical team tin the central and north Rupununi wrapped up a successful expedition in partnership with the Region 9 health department.  

The team was able to travel to nine remote villages by boat and deliver a host of critical health services and education sessions.  One highlight was the portable ultrasound machine that Dr Jim Shipley used to bring advanced diagnostics and care to these isolated communities.   

This technology proved useful in many ways including as an incentive for all the pregnant women to come in for other critical services and nutrition. 

The portable Ultrasound Machine in Action.

Other services included Dental care, rehabilitation services, eye screening, mass de-worming, diabetes and hypertension screening, and even minor surgeries.

One women for example had a foreign body (splinter of wood) removed from her arm after it had been lodged there for over nine years.   Many special needs, or SPAN clients, were also screened for follow up by the Ministry of Health and other partners.  Stay tuned for more updates.

RAM Guyana Chairman, Patrick de Groot had to fix the vehicle with a piece of wood (wheel center) to make it in to Karanambu  where the boats were launched.

Patrick de Groot, Salvador de Caires, Terrence Trapnell, Dr Shipley discuss strategy.

Dentex Atkinson Daniels, Jules Fredricks, Salvador, and Druanne Browne.

Health Education at Yupukari primary school with Dentex Daniels.

Medical Students Facilitate Hands-on Trainings with RAM Rangers.

UK based Medical Students, Sang and Stephanie conducted health trainings with Lethem-based volunteers on their recent stint with the organization.  Mental health was a training module that the two future doctors put together from scratch for the organization and presented at Lethem Hospital - due to black out conditions at the RAM shack.

They also facilitated hands on trainings for hypertension and diabetes screening for the youth affiliated with the RAM Rangers volunteer group.  New volunteers are always encouraged to come in to the office in Lethem to fill in a registration form and start making an impact.