Sunday, August 3, 2008

No concessions on unity when criminals executing a political programme - Ramotar

The PPP cannot give in to demands for political unity in an atmosphere in which it is widely believed that criminals are executing a political programme, PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar said.

He also said that the issue of a presidential candidate will not be decided in the press.

Delivering the Central Committee Report of the People’s Progressive Party at its two day 29th Congress at the Diamond Secondary School, East Bank Demerara yesterday, Ramotar said that “one of the main obstacles that we face in Guyana, which has a big impact on our politics, is the crime situation.”

The Central Committee Report was one of yesterday’s agenda items which followed the opening of the conference attended by over 1,500 local and overseas delegates and observers.

The opening ceremony featured an address by President Bharrat Jagdeo, and brief remarks by PPP Founder Member and former President, Mrs Janet Jagan, as well as by Ramotar.

Also on the agenda was the election of 35 members to the Central Committee of the party and five candidate members. Even as the opening ceremony was taking place in the auditorium of the school to which journalists except for photographers were not given access, a few persons were busy canvassing support for a number of persons they felt should be on the committee. These included Ralph Ramkarran, Moses Nagamootoo, Kwame McCoy, Clinton Collymore and Vanburn Brown.

Major cancers have higher prevalence among African Guyanese than other population groups - study

The major cancers have a higher prevalence among African Guyanese than other population groups, a recent study found.

This is consistent with a trend which was seen some seventeen years ago, and it is believed that some of the contributing factors were a genetic predisposition, socio-economic influences including low income status, and promiscuity, according to a recent study.

The findings of the study, titled ‘Common cancers of the Afro-Guyanese population: A silent issue for too long,’ were presented at a May 2007 conference held in Jamaica under the theme, ‘African-Caribbean Cancer Consortium.’

The study was authored by Tumour Registrar Penelope Layne and Nurse Premini Persaud both of the Guyana Cancer Registry, and University of Guyana lecturer and head of the cancer group Periwinkle, Dr Wallis Best Plummer.

According to their findings, with the exception of breast cancer, the highest percentage of all other cases involving major cancers were Afro-Guyanese. However, the report qualified this by observing that if the number of breast cancers among East Indians and Africans were adjusted according to their relative proportion in the national population, breast cancer would also be more prevalent among Afro-Guyanese women.

Cancer has been one of the five leading causes of death for over 15 years, according to the Statistical Unit of the Ministry of Health.

The high prevalence of the various cancers among the African segment of the Guyanese population was not unexpected as a pilot of cancer care in Guyana in the early 1990s had previously found a 54% prevalence among this group.

“This continuing high prevalence of cancers after seventeen years however suggests that little has changed to reduce the impact of this disease,” the report said.

Presenting the evidence used to come up with the conclusions, the report said that the most prevalent cancers among persons of African descent were those of the prostate, lung, breast, cervix, stomach, liver and colon. African men accounted for 65% of all prostate cancer in the country while the women accounted for 44.1% and 39% of all breast and cervical cancers respectively. While most of the men affected by prostate cancer are largely diagnosed over the age of 60, breast cancer is most prevalent among women aged 41 to 60.

And among the male population Afro-Guyanese account for 99% of the stomach cancers, 45% of the lung cancers and over 50% of both colon and liver cancers.

“Afro-Guyanese women also experienced between 39% and 45% of all the main gender-specific and gender-neutral cancers. In particular, they had the highest incidence of cervical cancer largely in women 40-60 years of age with over 60% cases diagnosed at stage 2,” the report said.

“This review has highlighted the disturbingly disproportionate affliction of Afro-Guyanese who constitute 30.2% of the national population with the major cancers reported to the registry. Efforts must be applied at raising awareness of the seriousness of this problem, and educating the susceptible population about easily adoptable health-promoting behaviours,” the report noted.

Owing to the fact there is no support mechanism for persons diagnosed with cancer, Nurse Layne said she received several calls a day from persons who just needed someone to talk to.

“There is no support mechanism for persons who have cancer; the doctors just give the patients their results and they are left out in the cold. They have no one to talk to and many of them are in need of counselling, and I receive many calls daily. Some people may even pass and see our sign and come in for assistance,” Nurse Layne said.

As a result, she said they had been working along closely with the recently established Periwinkle cancer group, through which cancer patients received some form of support and counselling. She said that in the group there were cancer survivors who would counsel newly diagnosed patients, and who would also visit the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) and talk with cancer patients.

And on a brighter note, Nurse Layne said that cancer patients were now seen separately by the oncologist at the GPH from other surgical patients, which made it easier for the survivors to find them.

Further, Nurse Layne said cancer treatment continued to be expensive, so it was good that it was available locally and persons continued to receive assistance from the Ministry of Health, with those contributing to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) also receiving some assistance from the scheme.
The registry was established in 2000.

Thrown off bed by another inmate

A 21-year-old mentally ill patient of the Georgetown Hospital’s Female Observa-tion Ward died early yesterday morning after she was reportedly thrown off the bed and choked by another inmate.
Dead is Natasha Vieira.

The hospital in a press release around 3.40 yesterday afternoon said that Vieira had been discovered next to her bed around 4.30 am with marks of violence around the neck. She had been seen by a doctor and pronounced dead at 5 am and the matter had been reported to the police.

Repeated efforts to contact the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael Khan yesterday afternoon proved futile.

In a release last night the police gave a different account, saying that around 2.30 am Vieira had been found lying on the floor next to her bed with blood oozing from her mouth and nostrils. The statement went on to say that another female patient of the ward reportedly had lifted Vieira off her bed and thrown her onto the floor.

Apparently the incident is so far being handled secretly by top officials of the institution’s internal security.

It has also been reported that from all appearances the young woman who had been living in the ward for years had been choked and then stabbed. A source said that a small amount of clotted blood had been observed on the floor where the incident had taken place.

It has been reported that Vieira had been living at the institution for several years. Sources said that she was not an individual who would cause trouble and that she had kept to herself.

Reports are that all the inmates are locked together in the ward and are monitored. If a problem does arise, the hospital’s security staff are notified.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

78 soldiers AWOL from army for this year

Some 78 soldiers from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) are currently Absent Without Leave (AWOL) for this year.

These soldiers, a GDF advertisement said, are asked to report to the nearest military installation or police station for further processing. Further, the army advises employers that these AWOL soldiers can be picked up at any time.

Individuals with information regarding the whereabouts of these ranks are asked to report it to the nearest police station or contact the army on telephone numbers: 226-9888 or 226-7662.

It was previously reported that from 2004 to last year more than 534 soldiers had deserted the GDF. For last year alone 150 absconded from the army.  According to the Defence Act every person subject to military law under this act who absents himself without leave; or persuades or procures any person subject to service law to absent himself without leave shall on conviction by court-martial, be liable to imprisonment for two years or any less punishment provided by the act.

It was alleged last December that absentee soldiers below the rank of substantive corporal returning to the fold are usually tried departmentally and would receive various sentences most times not exceeding one year. After the sentencing the soldier’s status (rank) would be reduced.

Some 2,000 persons treated at new Suddie diagnostic centre

Nearly 2,000 persons have been treated at the Suddie Diagnostic and Treatment centre at the Suddie Hospital since it began offering services to Region Two residents just over two weeks ago, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

Some of the services now being offered include audiology, endoscopy, phlebotomy, ophthalmology, laboratory, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), maternity services, dental care, theatre services, accident and emergency, X-ray and Electrocardiography (ECG). There is also a general medical out-patient department.

GINA said that persons from Region Two are now benefiting from specialist clinics which include hypertensive, diabetic, gynaecology, orthopaedic, endoscopy, ultrasound and dentistry.

The facility will operate on a 24-hour basis and is powered by two 1,200KV generators at a cost of $12M each to ensure round the clock power supply.

File to be re-submitted to DPP

Police have completed investigations into last month’s shooting of a police officer allegedly by Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys and the file will again be submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

Investigations had been launched into the shooting of Tactical Services Unit officer Mark George during the course of duty, and the file sent to the DPP. However, the file had been returned to police with instructions to conduct further investigations. A senior police officer told Stabroek News that the said investigations have been completed and the file is on its way back to the DPP.

At the same time, George who is fully conscious and communicating is now a patient in the High Dependency Unit of the Georgetown hospital. The rank and his colleagues were reportedly on patrol in Woolford Avenue when they noticed a vehicle with tinted windows parked on the roadway. The officers made checks and an argument ensued between them and the driver, who was identified as Magistrate Gilhuys. It was at this point that the magistrate reportedly opened fire on the ranks, hitting George in the back. The man sustained injuries to several internal organs and the bullet exited his body through his abdomen. He underwent emergency surgery before being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and placed on life support.

The magistrate subsequently made a report at the Brickdam Police Station but he refused to hand over his weapon. However, he parked his vehicle which had about six bullet holes, in the station compound. The magistrate then appeared at the station the following day accompanied by his attorney Nigel Hughes, and after spending most of the day there was released on self bail. He also lodged his weapon at the station.

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised that there has been no progress in the matter. Since the June 26 incident, police have released little information to the media. In the days following the incident, sources had said that Magistrate Gilhuys could be charged in relation to the possession of a firearm and then the file would have been sent to the DPP for further advice.

In the meantime, Magistrate Gilhuys remains on leave which he took on his own accord and his cases are now been handled by the other magistrates in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.