Outreach Month in Pictures

 Dr Kanhai, Ryan, Richard and CHW Aloycius look on as the winning ticket is drawn in Yurong Paru for HIV testing promotion.






 Clients at the Sawariwau health post gather for services from the airborne outreach team with the MoH.

 
Behi Barzegar interviews post-
flood clients for the Latrine replacement project supported by CIDA.





Dr Irv Chan speaks on teenage pregnacy and reproductive health to the upper grades of Sawariwau Primary.

Dentex Judith LaRose working on another extraction while Ryan works the HF radio.





 
 Dr Mohamed Ally interviews a disabled client in Kraudanawa.

 The winning client shown with members of the outreach team after the VCT grand drawing.






A full load for the six seat Cessna 206 "Super Skywagon".

Students at Kraudarnawa get 'warmed up' for an interactive session on reproductive health.

Dentex Edgar Simon is the regional supervisor and one of the longest serving dental technicians in the Rupununi.

Richard shows his versatility at the controls at three thousand feet over the South Savannas.











Airborne outreach team speaks to the community members present at Sawariwau clinic.




This young disabled girl is not able to attend school in her village on account of her condition.  The SPAN program works with teachers and families to provide opportunities.   

Residents March and Hold Vigil in St Ignatius.

With music jumping and a loud speaker blaring slogans and public messages, a group of mostly young activists marched through St Ignatius Village yesterday evening. A candle light vigil was also held after a number of speakers had addressed the crowd.

Organized by members of the Regional AIDS Action Committee the event marked World AIDS Day (WAD) in the Rupununi. RAM and Red Cross volunteers in particular came together to make the youth friendly program a success.

Although candles were lit for a complete minute of silence, the hundreds in attendance heard a message of hope. 'Getting to Zero' is within our reach: Zero new infections, Zero AIDS related deaths, and Zero Discrimination - the official theme for WAD speaks of greater aspirations and possibilities with the tools now available to clients and activists.

Earlier in the day, an impromptu speaking competition was held at the St Ignatious Secondary School on the theme of HIV and AIDS. Organized by RAM and Red Cross youth, the students competed in front of their peers and a panel of judges by answering randomly selected questions on related subject matter.

The winner, Doshana Mentis, of the third form, performed best and walked away with a 12MP digital camera as the first prize. She was able to compose her speech in 30 seconds according to the rules and delivered her message in less than two and a half minutes.

Second place was taken by Vaughn Duncan while third prize won by Anureiya Thomas. Contestants were judges on a list of seven standard criteria while RAM staff member Philbert Malcolm kept the show lively as Master of Ceremonies.

Some of the questions asked of the contestants were:

1) Should parents and teachers of children who test positive for HIV be notified?
2) Should school children have access to condoms?
3) Should people living with HIV have access to public education.

Two pop-quizes kept the audience members on their toes and gave them a chance to win pens and key- chains courtesy of NAPS.

Keep an eye on the RAM Guyana facebook page for pictures and updates.

Don't Crack No Jokes.

It hurts to laugh after an abdominal surgery you know. That's what some of the post-surgical clients found out first hand - they were subsequently begging for straight faces. Only nine from the Upper Mazaruni were able to make it onto the packed schedule in Bartica for the visiting RAM surgeons as many more were disappointed.

Pictured here is a rare glimpse of Mt Roraima during the flight this afternoon between Paruima and Phillipai in that district of Region Seven.

One interesting outcome of the surgical expedition, said one health worker, is that many more candidates are coming forward for the first time in these isolated villages. They previously had no reason to hope that their hernia or 'goadie' could be healed through the system. One sixty year old Arakuna tribesman that did see the team had been suffering for over four years.

Bartica Surgery Team Meets Trauma and Triumph

Gunshot wounds and overtime surgery.  While working at the interior gold mining town of Bartica, RAM volunteer doctors and team members encountered the rough side of mining life.  Pictured here is a bullet lodged in a patients leg at the Bartica hospital just milimeters from the femoral veign - he was lucky to survive. 

A group of bandits had attacked and robbed a series of mining camps up-river from the town, took hostages, capsized a boat, and escaped into the jungle.  The police acted swiftly and have cornered or captured a number of suspects.  Most of the surgeries being performed by the volunteer team however are elective general cases for debilitating or disfiguring conditions including hernias, hydroceles and gall stones. 

The town itself has been secure and quiet with residents including Regional Chairman Knight and Regional Executive Officer Ramotar expressing their willingness to partner on future RAM expeditions to the region.

The Ultimate House Call

A medical emergency flight to Gunns Strip last saturday saw Dr Irv Chan seeing patients in what can be argued as the most remote and isolated spot in all of Guyana.  'Bush rope' is used to secure the hamock while villagers stand by to help lift the patient into the waiting RAM air-ambulance.  The Lethem Hospital Ambulance is waiting to transport the sick and injured to the nearby hospital upon arrival.

Digicel joins RAM in promoting HIV testing.

In a promotion running through both the Regional Heritage Celebration and National Week of Testing, Digicel has donated a touch screen cell phone to encourage residents of Region 9 to get tested.

Come out today and get your chance to qualify for the grand drawing on October 10th. The fold able promotion flyer/cube here details the prevention activity.

First Day of Major Surgery at Bartica Hospital (ever) a Success.

Due to the outstanding preparation by the hospital staff and administration, the visiting Remote Area Medical and Ministry of Health team completed six surgeries yesterday in the debut event.

Special thanks to Terry Mohamed, Marcy Gravesande and TGA for helping scramble and deliver some urgent anesthesia supplies early this morning to keep the team in action. Also thanks to Baganara resorts for volunteering to transport surgical clients by boat and provide airport security.

Pictured here is Nurse Dutchin of Bartica District Hospital assisting with client registration along with Dr Puranik, Dr Maddiwar and Dr Ramesh.

Photo of the day:

Children at Philipai airstrip in the Upper Mazaruni wait by the aircraft while surgery clients are screened and boarded for their trip to Bartica.

8th General Surgery team arrives in Bartica today.

For the first time in the history of Bartica Hospital, a team of physicians will perform major surgery at the facility. Headed by long time RAM volunteer Dr Gan Maddiwar, the team of visiting professionals will partner with the Ministry of Health and local providers to deliver services to the interior mining town.

This is the first time the RAM surgical team has been invited to Region Seven after many successful expeditions in the Rupununi district.

Outlying indigenous communities also stand to benefit as clients from the Upper Mazaruni district are being flown in via the RAM air-ambulance aircraft to perhaps repair a debilitating hernia or remove a mass.

Special thanks to the Regional Health Services, and Hospital administration and staff for making this mission possible

Stand by for updates.

HIV testing at midnight.

Thanks to Digicel, the RAM Guyana team is giving residents in region nine one more reason to get a health check - a chance to win a touch screen smart phone with eight gigs if data storage. The promotion is running day and night at the annual Amerindian Heritage festival held this year in St. Ignatious village.

Pictured here are the three tented councilor stations in action - taking the services to the people. Every client tested, receives their results instantly in this confidential setting - and is enterred to win the fancy Nokia camera phone. The grand drawing will be held on October tenth after the completion of 'National Week of Testing' another annual event that this year falls adjacent to Heritage.

Special thanks to the Regional AIDS Action Comittee, GRCS, the Regional Administration and YCG for making these activities possible.

Non-medical volunteering

Not a Doctor, not a problem. Our volunteers are more often than not serving behind the scenes as critical support persons. For every doctor and dentist that treats a client in a remote village, there are many like Aaron Akbar - pictured here, keeping the equipment in order and preparing for the next expedition. Aaron is a motor bike enthusiast and technician who donated many grimy hours towards rehabilitating the RAM dirt bike.

Trash diggers

These young boys are seen on a Saturday afternoon hanging out at the overflowing Lethem dump site. The increasing development and commerce in the Central Rupununi, has created a growing waste disposal problem for the local government.

This one official site must be maintained to help prevent the countless illegal dumping grounds that litter the area. Additional signs will also be required as many cart-loads are clearly being dumped far short of their intended destination - in the savanna and gravel pit on the way to the site.

North Pakaraima Medivac.

A call from the Regional Health Services division of the Ministry of Health yesterday morning called the RAM aircraft into action once again. A resident of Tuseneng village in the heart of the Pakaraima Mountains had suffered a serious leg fracture.

In the dry season, the trail from this village to the nearest x-ray machine and doctor would take a few days at best. Those who have joined the annual 4x4 "Safari" would know first hand the challenges in the best of conditions. This time of year, however, a light aircraft is simply the only option.

Located between Monkey Mountain and Paramakatoi, Tuseneng is an indigenous Patamona village of less than 250 souls. The small, sloping dirt airstrip is maintained by village volunteers using hoes and machetes.

An eight year old from the South Rupununi with a badly fractured arm requiring surgery was also airlifted to the capitol city on the same trip.

Your continued support makes flights such as these possible to prevent crippling and life threatening injuries.