Finance Minister meets with Bankers
-discussion centred on possible development of offshore financial sector
Georgetown, GINA, February 12, 2008
Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, yesterday chaired a meeting of senior Government officials and representatives of the Guyana Association of Bankers to discuss the potential for cooperating to facilitate the development of Guyana as an Offshore Financial Centre (OFC).
OFCs exist to provide financial services such as banking, insurance and asset management to mainly non-resident individuals and entities.
The OFCs generally offer to investors distinct benefits including favourable tax and regulatory regimes, and the ability to make deposits in foreign currencies. They also offer highly confidential services.
There are already several established OFCs in the Caribbean Region, including in the Cayman Islands, Barbados, the Bahamas and the Netherlands Antilles. The experience of these countries and of OFCs in other regions of the world suggests that OFCs have the potential to provide several benefits to the host country.
These benefits include the deepening of financial markets, the enhancement of skills of workers in professional fields such as law and accountancy and, ultimately, a boost to economic growth and employment.
Against this backdrop, the Government of Guyana intends to undertake an assessment of the institutional arrangements and legislation that would need to be put in place in order for Guyana to serve as an OFC. The assessment would involve: a review of existing legislation and draft legislation in order to assess implications they may have for the development of an offshore financial sector in Guyana which would include consideration of the Anti-Money Laundering Act currently before Parliament; a review of the experience of OFCs in the Caribbean Region and of relevant legislation in place in these other jurisdictions and the setting out of a recommended way forward, with the aim of drafting legislation that would both be appropriate for Guyana and compliant with OECD standards.
In order for the assessment to be carried out effectively, collaboration between multiple Government Agencies (to include the Bank of Guyana, the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Guyana Office for Investment), and the close involvement of interested stakeholders in the private sector, is required.
In this regard, Minister Singh requested the support and input of the Guyana Association of Bankers, whose members possess invaluable technical expertise as well as experience of other CARICOM jurisdictions that could be used as a model for Guyana.
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More Cuban medical personnel arrive
-to man Leonora Cottage Hospital and Treatment Centre
Georgetown, GINA, February 12, 2008
Government is working towards enhancing medical facilities and services throughout the country and the latter aspect will be given a boost with the arrival of 14 Cuban medical practitioners most of whom will serve at the Leonora Centre in Region Three. This facility is expected to open within the next three weeks.
Minister within the Ministry of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsaran today welcomed the medical professionals consisting of doctors, surgeons, nurses and technicians. Another batch of 14 is expected to arrive by Sunday.
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The Leonora hospital and treatment centre is one of four such institutions that were earmarked for construction under an agreement between the Governments of Cuba and Guyana. These are; the diagnostic and treatment centres at Suddie Region Two, and Mahaicony, Region Five and the Diamond East Bank Demerara Regional Hospital, Region Four. An ophthalmology centre at Port Mourant is also part of the agreement. Construction is far advanced on the state of the art institution that will cater for patients from Guyana and neighbouring countries.
Both the Suddie and the Mahaicony facilities are expected to come on stream in the near future.
Minister Ramsaran said the Diamond East Bank Demerara Hospital is already a success and it is justifying that the investment for a small country like Guyana was worthwhile.
That hospital was opened on October 12, 2007 with 28 Cuban health care providers and Guyanese support staff. Between October and January the hospital was able to provide services to over 13,000 patients.
The Diamond facility is aimed at accommodating persons along the East Bank Demerara corridor and precludes the need for patients to travel to Georgetown to seek medical attention. The Leonora Centre will provide similar services as the Diamond institution.
Minister Ramsaran said that with the new Leonora Centre and the infusion of Cuban doctors, residents will be able to receive better services especially asthmatic and pediatric patients who would have had to travel to the Georgetown Hospital
Minister within the Ministry of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsaran posing with the Cuban medical personnels.
The Suddie Hospital will also be receiving more assistance as three of the doctors will be stationed there to supplement the human resource capacity.
These doctors and technicians will be laying the foundation for Guyanese to take over throughout the next five years since it is expected that several hundreds of local students who are being trained in Cuba will be returning by 2011.
At present 500 students are being trained in Cuba and this year 69 students are expected to return and will offer their services.
On their return they will undergo training for a few more months under the guidance of the Cuban medical personnel before completing their degrees.
Minister Ramsaran said the Cuban doctors and medical professional are expected to train the Guyanese students not only in theoretical medicine but work ethics.
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Essequibo water supply for significant improvement
Georgetown, GINA, February 12, 2008.
Government’s commitment to further improve potable water supply is being realised in more areas including the Essequibo Coast in Region Two, which has been targeted for significant improvement, particularly villages from Walton Hall to Queenstown.
Improvement to the water supply system in this Region is catered for under a major water project being implemented by the administration with support from the World Bank.
Essequibo is one of the three areas in the country targeted for improved water supply under the project, which will benefit approximately 5, 000 consumers in the county residing in about 20 villages, including Anna Regina, Lima and Queenstown. 
A resident of Suddie discusses a housing issue with Minister Nawbatt.
Residents were updated on the project and its impact on Essequibo during meetings with Minister of Housing and Water Harrinarine Nawbatt, who visited Region Two on February 11. He was accompanied by a team of officials from the Ministry and the Regional Administration including Chairman Ali Baksh.
Meetings were held at Charity, Anna Regina and Suddie, the three main points in the Region, which allowed the Minister and team to garner the views of residents from across the county.
The need for improved water supply was among the main issues raised by residents and they were subsequently advised about the ongoing efforts by Government to boost the utility in their area.
At present, focus is currently being placed on upgrading of the distribution network in the targeted areas through which activities such as trench-crossing and installation of distribution mains in areas that do not have such infrastructure are ongoing. This phase of the project commenced last month and is expected to be completed by March/April.
In addition, the design-build contract for the construction of the water treatment plant, which is one of the project’s main components, has been awarded and it is expected that actual construction of the plant will be completed by mid-2009. This aspect of the project includes drilling of an additional well in Lima.
Pipe being installed in Essequibo.
Another important phase of the project involves installation of transmission mains to take the water from the treatment plant to the end of the distribution system. This component is currently up for approval.
When this aspect is completed, even if it is before the treatment plant, there will be improved water supply in communities, which are currently experiencing difficulties.
Approval for installing the distribution mains will lead to the final phase, metering of all customers, whereby the system will be more sophisticated than the existing infrastructure.
This will make it difficult for persons to tamper with the meter and it will not be susceptible to damages by animals or other activities likely to impact on the infrastructure.
During the meetings, residents spoke about various housing matters including non-response to several applications for house-lots and delays in the granting of titles.
Minister Nawbatt explained the various methodologies being implemented in various Regions to address the long list of applicants and updated residents on ongoing efforts to address some of the problems facing the housing sector.
Trech-crossing works ongoing in Essequibo.
It was noted that action is being taken to repossess house-lots from persons who have not completed payments and/or who have not occupied their lands even after allocation was granted for several years.
Reference was made persons who were allocated house-lots and have since migrated or moved to another part of the country, where they have again secured house-lots. The re-possession process is intended to ensure that more persons, who are genuinely in need of house-lots, are given the opportunity.
Minister Nawbatt further explained that persons who are experiencing difficulties either with regard to payments or occupancy can visit the Ministry and work out an arrangement to address their problems.
Over the years, the Housing Ministry has adopted various strategies to ensure that more Guyanese are given access to improved and comfortable housing facilities.
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PNC/R has failed to take a definitive stand against criminals
- Dr. Luncheon
Georgetown, GINA, February 12, 2008
Government has lashed out at the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) and other allies who have failed to take a firm stand against criminal elements that are out to destabilise a peaceful country, accusing the main opposition party of wanting to ‘have its cake and eat it’.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon said it’s unfortunate that whilst Guyanese are trying to come to grips with the recent Lusignan massacre and the security forces in support of government is trying to capture criminals, such political games would take forefront.
“What is clear to the administration and to those who have been following what the PNC, opposition and others have been saying, is that commitment to massively mobilize, to create a oneness in response to this outrage is not being done. This is the two facedness of the PNC/R and the opposition.”
He said, “Whether they are aware of it and it cannot for any reason whatsoever feel people of such creativity not recognize that the likely impact of their ambiguous utterances, their deviousness in confronting specific issues is going to lead and has led to aspects of confusion.”
Minister of Public Service Dr. Jennifer Westford pointed out that the PNC/R over the last weeks has clearly shown its non-interest in supporting the Joint Services as they carry out their relentless work to capture the criminals.
“On one hand the PNC is saying that the joint forces are not doing what they ought to be doing, they need to be more professional, work more, protect the people and on the other hand by their very actions the PNC are undermining the very group they are criticizing that they want to function by maligning these joint services,” Minister Westford said.
Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir echoed the same points and said that persons need to pay keen attention to what is being said by the opposition elements.
“It’s like if the PNC is trying to play to both groups, the entire nation that is condemning this massacre that happened and also playing to the criminals to say look we put you in a special category. If we look at what they have not said and every group that condemned the incident at Lusignan used the word massacre…We have to be concerned about what the PNC says, don’t and how they say what they say,” Minister Nadir said.
Government believes that its time for the PNC/R to be forced into a position where it must condemn these criminals.
“We have to divest the PNC whether they want it or not of these pretences and force them into the open to walk with the rest of us mainstream Guyanese who refuse to see these false justifications that are being thrown in our face….I think when the criminals see that even when their last bastian of support may be not active support but people who are not coming out against them, the PNC. When they see that, they also have joined with the rest of us Guyanese will know that their noose is tightening around them,” Dr. Luncheon emphasized.
Meanwhile, government has called on Guyanese to pay keen attention to the upcoming PNC/R Motion which will be tabled in the National Assembly on February 14 to condemn the Lusignan killings.
“We hope the Guyanese people will be listening to and looking for when these presentations are made in Parliament on Thursday and try to understand what are their (PNC/R) likely motives, unanticipated outcomes of the things that PNC and the other oppositions and the acolytes are actually saying,” Dr. Luncheon said.
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Malaria under control in Region Eight
- Community Health Workers commended for efforts
Georgetown, GINA, February 12, 2008
The fight against malaria has been gaining momentum in Region Eight with few reported cases in several of the Amerindian communities that were highly affected in the past.
Community Health and Medex workers of the region spoke of the success story in the malaria fight to Minister of Amerindian Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues during her recent six-day visit to 11 communities in the Pakaraimas.
The workers attributed this success to the insecticide-treated bed nets which were distributed to various parts of the country through an intervention by the Ministry of Health. More than 30, 000 nets were distributed.
In 2005 the nets were distributed to several communities in Regions One, Two, Seven, Eight and Nine.
The commitment and dedication of Medex and Community Health Workers in the campaign against malaria was also recognised by Minister Rodrigues.
During a visit to Kopinang Minister Rodrigues was introduced to Medex Marcellino Haramotto who displayed his certificate and medal which he recently received from the Ministry of Health for his services in the prevention and elimination of malaria in the Global Fund malaria programme.
He said only 81 cases of malaria were reported in 2007 compared to 1000 cases in 2006. For this year there have been no reports so far and this according to Medex Haramotto is due to the use of the treated nets and the mass smearing which is being done in every community.
He explained that malaria is usually high among the mining population in the Region who venture into areas where they are infected by the germ.
Medex Marcellino Haramotto receives his medal from Minister Rodrigues.
Malaria is spread by the anopheles’ mosquito and according to a report by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) at least one million deaths occur each year from malaria. Stagnant water is usually the common breeding ground for the mosquitoes.
Part of Government’s ongoing plan in the fight against malaria involved a comprehensive education programme to help persons to take more proactive preventative approaches.
Treatment such as the use of the malaria drug Coartem has also been used to treat those infected. The drug which was first introduced in 2002 was one of the main recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In the past, fogging exercises were used as a main control mechanism and the Ministry of Health is seeking to revamp these and use them along with the new methods.
New biological control methods are also being considered such as the use of special bacteria which feeds on the mosquito larvae.
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