Guyana: Minister of Health, Frank Anthony, joins Health Fair and Blood Drive Opening Ceremony

Georgetown, Guyana: Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony attended the opening ceremony of the Health Fair and Blood Drive held at the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Head office on Vlissengen Road, Georgetown.

As per the update by Guyana MoH, this Health Fair and Blood Drive is also being held simultaneously in Regions Two, Three, Five, Six, Seven, and Ten, and is just one of many activities being hosted by the GWI to commemorate its 21st Anniversary.

While delivering his remarks, Minister Anthony credited the GWI for its improvement in providing better quality water supply in the last few years.

“The water that is being supplied is well treated and the infectious rates for the spread of water-borne diseases have reduced,” he said.

Dr Anthony explained that the MoH has been performing routine testing on the water supplies following the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and most of the reports are highly favourable.

In commending the team at GWI for organising the health fairs, the Minister said the key to a wellness lifestyle is consuming a balanced diet which contains the right amount of nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and vegetables, the ministry outlined.

He reminded the gathering that healthy eating coupled with regular exercise aids in preventing chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

“ We need to incorporate more natural foods rather than processed food into our diet; limit the consumption of sugar; drink more water; exercise regularly for at least 30 minutes; have a full 8 hours of sleep; learn how to manage stress level and build a connection with friends and family,” Dr Anthony cautioned.

The Chief Executive Office of GWI, Shaikh Baksh, highlighted their anniversary objective is to focus on their employees, and as such, they will be honouring their retired employees; and hosting a graduation exercise for twenty (20) craftsmen.

He also mentioned that they will be working to ensure that the employees have a satisfactory working environment and by the end of this year they can have protective clothing along with career development will be taken into consideration.

In addition, Baksh noted that after 20 years, GWI was able to provide 97% access to water across Guyana and is working to improve their customer services within the three years.

Meanwhile, Vice Chairman of GWI, Dharaamkumar Seeraj in his brief remarks emphasised that water is the most important intake for people and animals and that it’s the most important uptake for plants.

“Water is crucial for healthy lives and that we at GWI are committed to and have a responsibility to ensure that 100 percent of our people have access to clean, potable water,” he said.

Also, present at this morning’s briefing, were the Vice Chairman of GWI, Dharaamkumar Seeraj; Communication Manager, Tamika Jeffrey, members of the GWI Board, employees of GWI and relevant personnel from the MOH.