October 18, 2016

Archives for April 12, 2016

“Harmon’s powers not too burdensome” – Granger tells AFC

By Devina Samaroo

President David Granger has completely disregarded calls made by the Alliance For Change (AFC) for the powers entrusted to Minister of State Joseph Harmon to be reduced, noting that his duties and responsibilities are not at all too burdensome.

The AFC, the smaller partner in the A Partnership for National Unity/AFC coalition Government, believes that too much authority has been given to Minister Harmon.

In this regard, the party called for Harmon’s powers to be trimmed. The AFC had explained that the concentration of the powers of the office of the Cabinet Secretary, the Minister of State in the Ministry of the Presidency and the effective Head of the Presidential Secretariat in a single person is a matter of concern and that in fact, the powers should be separated.

Responding to these demands, President Granger appeared to be in full support of the duties and responsibilities assigned to Minister Harmon.

“I don’t think that they are so burdensome that he cannot take all three responsibilities. I am standing by the duties which were assigned to him last May and this is what we have been working with for the last 11 months and this is what was explained to the Cabinet retreat in January,” the President said.

He also posited that he was surprised that the AFC now seemed to find fault in the distribution of duties and responsibilities among Cabinet members.

“We had a retreat of the Cabinet earlier this year and we put out a very clear statement on the responsibilities of all 14 Ministers and the Ministry of the Presidency. So there is a book and it is stated, and nobody made any objections to the duties which were assigned to the Minister of State then and it would be surprising that after two months, people feel that the duties are being misused or they need to be trimmed,” he explained.

Notwithstanding his firm position in defence of Minister Harmon, the President said the matter would be extensively discussed when Cabinet meets today.

“I have to wait to find out from our colleagues what they actually mean, but as far as I am concerned, there is no overburdening of the Ministry and I don’t see what powers they need to be reduced,” he stated.

Sole-sourced medical $135M contract given to fly-by-night company

… last such contract I will defend – Health Minister
Following the pronouncements made by the Alliance for Change (AFC), Minister of Governance Raphael

Company location

The Hydronie, Parika, East Bank Essequibo address of Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc

Trotman that government gave its no-objections in awarding, via sole sourcing, a $135 million contract for medical equipment to Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc, his A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) counterpart Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton, now affirms he will not be supporting any more procurement contracts that will be sole-sourced.
The AFC/APNU coalition government came under heavy criticism for promulgating the established procurement procedure that they vehemently condemned under the previous administration.
Trotman had revealed through the press that Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc (CMSI), was awarded the $135 million contract to sole source medical equipment such as Biohit Pipette Tips and Devices; Nova Express Test Strips; two sets of Beckman Coulter Reagents and Becton Dickenson Syringes, needles and tubes.
In defending the need for the entity to sole source the supplies, Trotman posited that sole sourcing is done when there is the possibility that tendering for supplies would inevitably cause delays which could be

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton

detrimental to patients who are in need of critical drugs to be supplied.
He said further: “The process of going out to tender – the time would cause delay in delivery and of course, the downside of that is people’s lives would be affected. So in an effort to avoid any complaint or any loss of life or injury to person as a result to the absence of critical drugs and equipment, we thought it best to approve this particular sourcing.”
However medical sources opined that it was very unlikely the medical laboratory equipment was needed so urgently to “save lives” since they would have been used to conduct routine tests.
According to Dr Norton, the swiftness at which they could acquire the medical equipment is why they opted to go the sole sourcing route, but “it is something we are making every effort to get away from, I can assure you. I thought by now we would be rid of sole sourcing, it still exists, but that is the last sole sourcing that I would defend at Cabinet. I wrote to all those in the process of procurement for the Ministry and said to them in no uncertain terms that I will defer any Cabinet paper seeking approval for sole sourcing.”

Company’s credibility
Guyana Times understands from a well-placed source that the company, CMSI, which was given the sole sourcing contract is a financier of one of the political parties in the coalition government. This has to be taken against the backdrop of recent pronouncements made in AFC quarters that campaign contributors are “investors who expect returns” on their investments, the source highlighted.
Last November the company which just has an address at Parika with no sign of employees or business activity won its first sole sourced contract to supply $35.1M of HIV rapid test kits for the ministry of public health. The HIV tests kits were simply bought over the internet and shopped into the country.
In fact, Minister Norton in addressing the observations made about the credibility of the company to deliver such large contracts said: “I must tell you that my Cabinet colleagues, they argued strongly against that particular company, because people wanted to know why is it that this company only formed in 2013, have a large proportion of contracts. I don’t know anything about this company, where it was formed and so on except for the fact that they were recommended by NPTAB [National Procurement and Tender Administration Board].”
The AFC/APNU government was very critical of the composition and structure of the NPTAB when they were in Opposition, in fact, AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan had said that “the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board is compromised, given that all of the members are appointed by the Ministry of Finance and are subject to directives from that Ministry.”
“Now that they are in government, it seems they have adopted this ‘compromising’ stance” said the source.
The Finance Minister, Winston Jordon, had said that a number of reforms to NPTAB were to be addressed but could not disclose what those reforms were going to be and when they would be accomplished. However, since the change of government, NPTAB changed the composition of its board.
According to the reliable source, contrary to what the government is saying, the tenders for contracts are being deliberately delayed, either by NPTAB or higher, so as to facilitate sole sourcing for companies that are aligned to this new administration.
The source said further, that confidential information, such as bidding prices, of companies that are vying for contracts are being leaked to “the select chosen companies” so that they can outbid or in some cases know whether to split the contracts so that they could come in at the lowest competitive bidding price.
Just recently, Guyana Times published an article where a director on the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) accused the government of corruption, citing that they “secretly” awarded a $420M fertiliser contract to a foreign company HDM Labs, whose principal it was outlined, was a campaign financier of the AFC during the 2015 elections.
The contract it seems is now dead since HDM Labs, based on the information supplied, does not have the capital necessary to execute the contract.
Guyana Times source highlighted that there is a “worrying pattern” that is developing which shows that this government, in delivering on its “investors who expect returns on their investment” policy are allowing their “investors”, who might not be “credible” in a particular field of business, the opportunity to supply contracts. This the source said will have “deleterious consequences,” especially with the quality and standard of the commodity being imported and the impact such transactions will have on the economy.
“If these contracts are given to foreign principals, even though there are local manufactures that can supply the same services, then the local manufacturers will suffer losses, eventually leading to them restructuring, which would equate to jobs losses as opposed to job creation had the monies expanded for the contracts been utilised in the local economy”, said the source.
Attempts to contact CMSI which is located at Hydronie, Parika, East Bank Essequibo, for a response proved futile.

Nigel Hughes resigns as AFC Chariman

Attorney Nigel Hughes has resigned from his post as Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC) after it

Nigel Hughes

Nigel Hughes

released a cutting statement, calling for the powers of State Minister Joseph Harmon to be reduced.
During an interview with Guyana Times on Monday evening, Hughes confirmed that he had indeed submitted his resignation to the party’s leadership.
He said he will be releasing a statement today, explaining the reasons for his resignation.
Hughes has been with the AFC since July 2011 and was elected as chairman on August 4, 2012.
Hughes’ wife, Cathy Hughes, currently serves as Public Telecommunications Minister within the A Partnership for National Unity/AFC coalition government.
Meanwhile, contacted for a comment on the matter, AFC General Secretary David Patterson repeatedly told this newspaper to carry whatever it wants.

DDL launches limited edition 50 Year Old rum

– on sale for $580,000three
As Guyana prepares to celebrate its 50th Anniversary, a special edition of the Eldorado Rum was unveiled at the launch of the “Eldorado Anniversary Edition” at the Demerara Distillers Limited Diamond Complex, Plantation Diamond, East Bank Demerara on Monday.
In celebration of this event, stakeholders, members of the Diplomatic corp., ministers of the government along with the President, David Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo were all present.
Addressing the gathering the Head of State spoke of the historical significance that was imbedded into Guyanese culture of sugar cane being harvested by the colonial mothers of this nation and transforming the cane into a brewed substance known as rum. The president noted that the economic responsibility that is placed on the rum industry in Guyana, adding that of the six major exports of Guyana, the rum industry generates an astronomical, 30 per cent of the total revenue earnings on export.
He pointed out that the foreign market “speaks great volume” of the quality of rum that is produced in Guyana, pointing to international surveys which have concluded on the high demand for El Dorado products in markets such as the United States, Canada and even Spain.
Demerara Distillers Limited has been perfecting the craft of fine rums for over three centuries. This anniversary Special Edition is a blend of rums that has been specially aged in oak casks for up to half a century. Its special release marks Guyana’s Golden Jubilee, and is the El Dorado toast to 50 years of an independent nation hood. World’s oldest rum at the launch of the Eldorado Anniversary Edition.
This quality, however, is created by specialists who dedicated years into mastering their trade to produce such an outstanding product. These masters include Shaun Caleb, Master distiller and Sharon Sue-Hang, Master Blender.
Sue-hang took the gathering through a tasting exercise of this remarkable rum demonstrating some of the skills of quality testing.
Only 600 of this special blend are up for sale at an astonishing $500,000 plus VAT. The bottle has an 18-karat gold signature seal.
Speaking to the gathering, Komal Samaroo, Chairman of DDL revealed the company’s intention to allocate $100,000 from the sale of each bottle to DDL’s Foundation to give less fortunate children with potential the chance to have an education and a fruitful life.
The attending congregation was all treated to a master performance of one of Guyana’s recognized singers Dave Martin. As he sang his songs, Martins shared tales of his journey he had took along the years of his musical career including ideas that lead to the creation of some of the most patriotic Guyanese songs ever written.
DDL is one of Guyana’s largest industries providing employment for thousands of workers at the same time producing household products through their retail outlets across the nation.

Cabinet Secretary’s responsibilities should be handed to retired public servant – Nagamootoo

Though the political party to which he belongs wants the powers of State Minister Joseph Harmon to be

Prime Minister  Moses Nagamootoo

Prime Minister
Moses Nagamootoo

reduced, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo says he has no indictment against him.
Speaking to the media on Monday Nagamootoo explained that it is not a matter of personalities but rather an issue of government functions.
“I am talking about responsibilities, how to defuse and share responsibilities so that it may not be too cumbersome on one person to handle and juggle many portfolios… and make for the work of Office [of the President] easier and one can concentrate on a specific limited area of functions,” he stated.
Moreover, Nagamootoo declared that he believes Harmon is “honest” and that he has nothing against him.
“This has nothing to do with an indictment of anyone, in particular Minister Harmon. I subscribe to the view also that he is an honest person. I have worked with him. I have nothing about his integrity,” he stated.
Furthermore, Nagamootoo expressed that the role being performed by Harmon should in fact be taken up by a retired public servant.
“The position of the Secretary to Cabinet have always been a position held by a public servant, at most a retired public servant because that is a highly specialised position with specialised duties,” he said, noting that such an individual would possess the desired traits of confidentiality.
“Ideally if you want to think of someone who can hold that position, I would say that I would be a traditionalist, go back to what could happen before the “Luncheon transition” was made, to lump everything in one person,” he stated.
On Sunday following a leadership retreat, the AFC issued a statement, noting that the party believes Minister of State Joseph Harmon has too much power.
In a statement issued on behalf of the party by Press Secretary of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Imran Khan, the AFC said the continuing revelations arising out of the appointment of the Advisor on Business Development, and the issues surrounding it, have their roots in the “concentration of the powers of the office of the Cabinet Secretary, the Minister of State in the Ministry of the Presidency and the effective Head of Presidential Secretariat in a single person”.
“The responsibilities of each of the above portfolios are substantial and of critical importance to the smooth operations of the Government and would benefit from separate appointments,” the AFC said in the statement.
The party said it has mandated its leadership in Cabinet to have these issues raised and addressed as a matter of national importance.

Guptill confirmed as Guyana Amazon Warriors Captain

Martin Guptill is back for a third stint with the Guyana Amazon Warriors

Martin Guptill is back for a third stint with the Guyana Amazon Warriors

– Franchise owner hails New Zealander’s “dynamic personality”

– Coach hopeful skipper can “drive us to success”

 

Guyana Amazon Warriors have stepped up their preparations for the forthcoming HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season by confirming New Zealand star batsman Martin Guptill as their captain.

Guptill, 29, is the franchise’s marquee player and is currently ranked third in the ICC World T20 batting rankings. The Aucklander enjoys a career average of 34.73 and strike rate of 131.44 from 61 games to date for the Black Caps.

A mainstay in the New Zealand top order across all three formats, he recently featured in his fifth ICC World T20 event in India and was a key figure as his nation reached the semi-finals, scoring 140 runs in four games at an impressive strike rate of 157.30.

Dr Ranjisinghi Ramroop

Dr Ranjisinghi Ramroop

 This will be Guptill’s fourth season in the CPL overall, and third with the Warriors, having also previously featured for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in 2015. In 28 CPL games to date he averages 35.7, including seven half-centuries, with a highest score of 90.

 Commenting on his selection, Martin Guptill said: “It is a huge thrill and a great honour for me to be selected as Guyana Amazon Warriors captain for the forthcoming CPL season. Guyana is a cricket-rich nation and has produced many outstanding West Indies cricketers, not least Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Colin Croft, Lance Gibbs, Carl Hooper and the great Sir Clive Lloyd, amongst many others. I am conscious of Guyana’s heritage and standing in the Caribbean, and proud to lead the team into battle this year.

 “I am really excited about working with a talented crop of emerging local and international talent and we will be working hard to try and be consistent and go one step further and clinch the title which has eluded the Warriors on two occasions. Of course this summer we will also be travelling to Central Broward Stadium in Florida which is a really positive development for CPL as we move into mainland USA. Speaking to some of the players already, there’s already a lot of excitement about this step.

“I would like to thank the owners and coach Roger Harper for inviting me back and we are all focused on giving our wonderful supporters many happy memories later this summer. Providence Stadium is a ground that I have fond memories of playing in and I know that we can count on some big numbers for our games there again this summer.”

Roger Harper

Roger Harper

Reflecting on the ICC World T20 2016, he added: “I would firstly like to congratulate the West Indies team and management on regaining the World T20 in such dramatic fashion last weekend. Their performances were outstanding throughout the competition and it was a real team effort.

“Personally speaking, New Zealand were disappointed to lose in the semi-finals to England, but we can take a lot of positives and look to build for the next few years as we have a good group of promising New Zealand cricketers coming through. With my team mates Brendon McCullum and Colin Munro signed up, it will be a great tournament for the fans as some of the biggest names in world cricket arrive in the Caribbean.

“West Indies cricket is on a real high. And with the Women’s and Under-19 teams also enjoying international success, I have no doubt that the feel-good factor will continue into the best-ever CPL this summer and beyond.”

Dr Ranjisinghi “Bobby” Ramroop, franchise owner of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, said: “I am delighted to welcome a world-class player of the calibre of Martin Guptill back to the team, having been a member of the Guyana Amazon Warriors family for the 2013 and 2014 editions of CPL. Martin’s dynamic personality, coupled with his high level of discipline and work ethic, will certainly be instrumental as a role model to the other team members, especially the younger players on the team. We wish him well and believe that he will be an inspirational figure for the team, on and off the field.”

Warriors Coach Roger Harper added: “I would like to offer my congratulations to Martin on being named captain of the Guyana Amazon Warriors for CPL 2016.  I have no doubt that Martin will lead from the front and his professionalism and passion for the game will spread throughout the team and drive us to success.  I am excited about working with him as captain.”

To see Guyana Amazon Warriors in action live at #CPL16, purchase your tickets on www.cplt20.com today. (www.cplt20.com)

Revoke appointment of other ‘Ministerial Advisers’ – Tiwari tells President

…Granger says Tiwari does not determine his policy

 BY EDWARD LAYNE

Local businessman Brian Tiwari has broken his silence and came out swinging at President David

President David Granger

President David Granger

Granger and sections of the print media, including his cousin, publisher of the tabloid Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, over his appointment as Ministerial Adviser on Business Development to Minister of State Joseph Harmon, which was widely reported in the local press after Kaieteur News reported that the appointment of Tiwari was to advise the Minister of Business and not just Harmon.
Tiwari, Managing Director of construction conglomerate BK International, in a strongly worded statement said based on his business acumen, Harmon’s decision to appoint him was legitimate. Implicitly addressing charges that Tiwari was “opportunistic” the statement asserted Tiwari’s “relationship with Harmon predated APNU, general elections and his appointment as minister”.

Revoke similar appointments
He added he was providing his services pro bono and reminded that several ministers, including Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo have made similar appointments, however, those appointments did not attract any “sustained campaign and public outcry.”
“Maybe in the interest of fairness the President should revoke all of those too and for the very reason given when he acted impulsively in revoking the appointment at a time when Minister Harmon was out of the

Brian Tiwari

Brian Tiwari

country.  It may well be that in quieter time the President may have an opportunity to reflect upon the propriety of impulsive decision making,” the businessman said.

Policy
Meanwhile, President David Granger told media operatives on Monday evening that he will not be responding to the businessman.
“I won’t respond to Mr Tiwari and Mr Tiwari does not determine my policy.”

Internal power struggle
Tiwari believes that the fact Harmon is “rightfully perceived as quiet, powerful and influential… is what has provoked the struggle for power, for influence, for turf.”
“The truth of the matter is that a political struggle is underway between various elements in high places and the Tiwari so called appointment is being used by many to achieve their objectives. We strongly believe that when politicians are at war, they must avoid dragging in innocent parties, unrelated to their apparent power struggles,” the statement added.
The businessman also took to task the state-owned Guyana Chronicle and the privately-owned Stabroek News and the tabloid-like Kaieteur News.
Tiwari believes that Kaieteur News focusing much attention on his appointment is part of a personal vendetta of its publisher Lall against Tiwari.
It said Kaieteur News and Guyana Chronicle have been waging their campaign of fabrications uninterruptedly, while Stabroek News fell into the trap with its editorial of April 4,, 2016 repeated the lies being peddled by Chronicle and Kaieteur News.
“As it relates to this issue and others, the Kaieteur News and the Guyana Chronicle have practiced gutter journalism and have taken the posture of the purveyors of fascist propaganda,” Tiwari said.

China trip
Tiwari clarified that his trip to China for private business, which happened to coincide with Minister Harmon’s official visit to the emerging economic super power.
“We acknowledge that they travelled together, but not withstanding this reality, each had his own business to transact.  We find absolutely nothing wrong with that,” the statement said.  The statement said that BK International and Tiwari are ‘good corporate citizens’, and supporters of the present government, who in the interest of Guyana’s development, have every right to do so.
“BK International will continue to support the Government as it has recently done in the matter of Durban Park development. All Guyanese, all businessmen and all companies have a right to contribute to public projects if they so wish. This is not a crime. This is not corruption. It is called patriotism,” it stated.
Meanwhile, the construction conglomerate asserted that it will continue to firmly support any efforts of the government to counter and/or stamp out corrupt practices which have in the past adversely affected its own operations and threatened its existence.
“If there is evidence of our involvement otherwise, we charge that it be provided openly and publically and honestly,” the statement said.
The appointment of Tiwari back in January 2016 which was made public last month has since attracted widespread criticisms from many quarters.
Harmon and the government were labelled “corrupt” by local transparency watchdog Transparency Institute Guyana Incorporated (TIGI), a label which was quickly refuted by President Granger.
Since taking to office, Minister Harmon has been one of the most proactive and competent ministers within the APNU/AFC administration and has been a target of many, including the Kaieteur News’ vendetta because of his association with businessman Brian Tiwari, the cousin Lall, publisher of that newspaper.
It is also believed that campaign against Minister Harmon was also orchestrated by members of the AFC, the smaller party in the APNU/AFC coalition.

Guyana Times Daily – April 12, 2016

frontpage

MoE to host 1st Relay Festival on Friday at Leonora

The National Track and Field Centre at Leonora will host Friday’s event

The National Track and Field Centre at Leonora will host Friday’s event

As preparations for Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations are underway, the Physical Education Department of the Unit of Allied Arts, Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Athletics Association of Guyana is gearing up to host the Golden Jubilee Relay Festival at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora, on Friday.

The Golden Jubilee Relay Festival is similar to other festivals or fairs held locally, regionally and internationally for high schools and other educational institutions. Similar events include the Barbados Relay Fair held annually in January and the Trinidad and Tobago Schools Relay Festival held annually in February.

Nicholas Fraser, Head of the Physical Education Department, Unit of Allied Arts-Ministry of Education, said this particular Festival will provide team-based athletic events for both Secondary Schools and Tertiary Institutions locally.

“It is important that clubs are not allowed to participate in these festivals so that student-athletes are allowed more recognition and exposure,” he said.

Fraser believes that ultimately, this Relay Festival can be a catalyst for the development of rounded athletes who are more likely to acquire scholarships.  According to Fraser, the age categories and events will challenge schools to provide teams from the lower, middle and upper school. Therefore, the winner of this Golden Jubilee Relay Festival should be the school with the most balanced athletic programme.

The Golden Jubilee Relay Festival will be governed by the relay rules of the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) Competition Rules 2016-2017. It is expected that the Golden Jubilee Relay Festival will attract Secondary Schools (one from each District). Schools must register their teams through their relevant Regional Education Department. Additionally, Tertiary Institutions, i.e. Technical Institutes, Training Centres and Universities may register directly at the Unit of Allied Arts.

Among the events will be Male and Female Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 age groups competing in the 4×100, 4×200 and medley races, while there will be Male and Female Under-17 Classic Pentathlon (Long Jump; Javelin; 200m; Discus; 1,500m). There will also be Open Male and Female 4×100 and medley races.

Overall vision

The Relay Festival fits into the Ministry of Education’s overall vision for the re-introduction of sports in schools and continuous teacher training programmes with Primary and Secondary Schools nationally. In the last five years training has been executed with Secondary School teachers in Cricket, Football, Rugby, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Track and Field and Basketball.

This year two more workshops in Rugby and Table Tennis will be held. In December 2015,  a CSEC Teachers Course in Track and Field was executed in conjunction with the Athletics Association of Guyana. Teachers were provided with the requisite skills and knowledge to implement a Track and Field programme in schools.

This event will provide an opportunity for teachers to evaluate their progress and to provide student-athletes with a unique sporting experience using the best facilities available – the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora.

Unicomer Inc inaugurates first health fair and expo

In observance of Occupational Safety and Health Month 2016, Unicomer Guyana Inc commonly known as

Junior Minister of Health Dr Karen Cummings and Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan, examine a booth at the health fair and expo

Junior Minister of Health Dr Karen Cummings and Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan, examine a booth at the health fair and expo

Courts, on Monday inaugurated its first health fair and expo in front of its Main Street office.
Hosted with the intent of disseminating information to the public on safer health practices, the expo featured a number of booths from varying health organisations.
This newly introduced initiative is one of the company’s strategies of giving back to Guyanese in a different way than its usual retailing business.
Country Manager of Unicomer Guyana, Clyde de Hass during his remarks at the opening said this is just the company exhibiting its social responsibility to the community by means of spreading awareness of healthier living.
He said that for two days the health fair and expo will serve as an easier way of educating persons on healthy practices, and hopefully this information will continue to spread throughout the country.
Present at the expo was newly elected Deputy Mayor of Georgetown Sherod Duncan, who lauded the initiative by the company which adds to the already long list of other activities that the company over the years have been embarking on.
Duncan said over the years the company has been able to move to higher heights, but in all, giving back to the communities continue to be high on its agenda as it fulfils its corporate responsibility.
Since its existence the deputy mayor said, Courts has been able to effectively work towards promoting a healthier city through its many cleanup campaigns which shows its dedication to the country’s development.
For this reason, Duncan pledged the Mayor and City Council’s support for initiatives such as these which benefit the general public.
Meanwhile, Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Dr Karen Cummings also congratulated the company on its first health fair which she outlined will serve a significant purpose for the Guyanese populace.
She said this initiative would aid the ministry in achieving its goal of having a Guyana which is filled with healthy persons, who in turn will be more productive.
Cummings said the aim of government is to reduce the risk factors that contribute to unhealthy living, and with more initiatives like these Guyana will be on its way to reaping tangible benefits.
She therefore encouraged other companies to emulate Unicomer and join the body of persons who want to see their country develop in every possible way.
The minister said government and more specifically the Ministry of Public Health is ready to work with any company to combat diseases, viruses and any other medical illness that plague the country’s population.
The speakers urged all Guyanese to take full advantage of what the fair is offering since it is only on for two days.
Booths at the expo will be engaging the public in discussions on how they can care for their health, as well as offering free tests for those visiting.