Persons are urged to take advantage of the 10-day healthcare services provided by the United States Southern Command’s USS IWO JIMA – a medical ship – that would dock off the Corentyne coast on Sunday.
The 1,800-member team, which includes three Guyanese, of the humanitarian outreach mission is made up of dental, veterinary and engineering professionals from the US military as well as non-governmental organizations and other international partners.
At a press conference at the Little Rock Suites on Tuesday, the media was told that the medical clinics are scheduled for October 22 to 26 and would run from 7 am to 3 pm daily.
Patients who require surgery would be selected through a pre-screening process before being taken to the medical centre onboard the ship. Mobile clinics would also be set up at Rose Hall Town and at Orealla/Siparuta in the Corentyne River, Kwakwani in the Berbice River, Moraikobai at Mahaicony Creek and at Edinburgh, East Bank Berbice.
Berbicians would be treated to the excitement of watching the helicopters ferry supplies and personnel to the ship, which would be docked about 15 nautical miles off the coast. The engineering crew would be engaged in construction projects including repairs to the New Amsterdam Hospital incinerator. Persons would also be trained on the proper operation and maintenance of the incinerator. They would also construct an agricultural packaging and storage plant at Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder to benefit farmers along with a fence and other facilities at the Central Corentyne Secondary School.
Prior to the press briefing on Tuesday, Regional Chairman, Zulfikar Mustapha and other regional officials met with key members of the outreach mission-“Continuing Promise 2010.”
Deputy Commander US Military Liaison Office Jo Guzman explained that the mission was conceived about a year ago when he met with Mustapha, who requested that his region be considered in its future plans. The chairman welcomed the mission and said he anticipates that hundreds of Berbicians would benefit from the services offered.
This is the maiden voyage of the USS IWO JIMA to Guyana, but it is also the third “Continuing Promise” mission to this country.
Previous voyages were made by the USS Comfort in 2007 and USS Kearsarge in 2008. The ship was deployed from Norfolk, Virginia since July 12 and made stops in Florida, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Haiti and Colombia before heading to Guyana. It will leave for Suriname on October 27 and return to Norfolk on November 15.