Minister of Health Leslie Ramsammy of Guyana
Dr Ramsammy says he was always driven by a sense of service to others.
add chronic, non-communicable diseases to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs.
Asked what it means for him to be elected the President of the Health Assembly, Dr Ramsammy says that it is a "wonderful opportunity" to get key health messages outside his own world.
Ramsammy said Guyana has long had difficulty retaining its medical staff, who frequently take advantage of the free medical training provided by the country and then leave for higher paying jobs in more developed countries.
Ramsammy received his PhD in biochemistry from St.
Ramsammy was professor of medicine at SUNY-Stony Brook and assistant professor at St.
Ramsammy said Guyana now faces an overall HIV prevalence rate of five to seven percent.
Ramsammy said Guyana's response to HIV/AIDS mainly focused on primary prevention.
Ramsammy said his goal was not to replace the country's prevention program "but to add to and build upon it.
Minister Ramsammy has been a Post Doctoral Fellow (Neurochemistry) at the New York Institute of Developmental Disabilities and is a Senior Fellow, WINDRIF, St.
for assisting in the public awareness campaigns.
schedule, and in some areas, programmes are advanced.
Leslie Ramsammy has declared that the major health danger from the flood is over, but he and his staff are still vigilant.
In February, Ramsammy had commented that while many Guyanese were preoccupied and worried about leptospirosis, other diseases were expected to surface such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and dengue fever.
However, even with the major health crisis over, Ramsammy said that his ministry is still proceeding with caution in the administering of its flood-related public health exercises.
Ramsammy said that he feels the concerted medical outreach carried out by the Ministry of Health and the various agencies and international medical teams helped avert what could have been a major health disaster.
Leslie Ramsammy had reported that more than 80,000 people in Georgetown and along the East Coast Demerara had been treated with medicine to guard against leptospirosis infection.
Ramsammy had noted that while many Guyanese were preoccupied and worried about leptospirosis, other diseases are expected to surface soon such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and dengue fever.
Ramsammy said that three persons were also admitted at the St.
Ramsammy said fewer than 8% of those treated had diarrhoea, although this is a major outcome of associated with flooding, adding that this was because the Health Ministry took action early.
Ramsammy had told reporters that leptospirosis not a new disease that has come to Guyana because of the floods but was a bacterial disease that has always been here in the past and we have had occasional cases of leptospirosis.
We have been prepared, Ramsammy had said, from day one for whatever comes and whilst things have been happening as we have anticipated, they have not been happening in the numbers we anticipated.
Ramsammy said there is continuous testing of suspected cases of leptospirosis but this is not used as the basis for treatment, as the bacterial disease has a cluster of symptoms similar to other diseases.
By February 28, the situation had begun to abate and Ramsammy had hailed the overwhelming response to the flood disaster as a truly Guyanese effort but said that the health response must continue to avert dangers.
The World Health Assembly is the supreme decision-making body for the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is respected as the one of the most powerful instruments of the United Nations, second only to the General Assembly.
Leslie Ramsammy said investigations have found the allegations to be unsubstantiated and untrue.
Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy has warned that the floodwaters swamping some communities across the country hold the threat of leptospirosis among other flood-related diseases, and is calling on affected residents to take heed and avoid the risk.
Ramsammy said the Ministry of Health is on alert, and that the local health machinery has already activated volunteers that are on the ready if the need arises.
Ramsammy said the aim is to reach as many affected persons as possible and treat them for the various infections.
Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy says that there has been no deviation from the normal re-ports of illnesses in flooded areas across the country, even though there has been water accumulation in some villages for more than two weeks.
Ramsammy said that this is due in part to the fact the residents seem to be complying with health instructions, such as the use of boiled water and not dwelling in the stagnant floodwaters.
Although there are no signs of a health crisis, Ramsammy said that his ministry is moving into the field as though there was a health crisis and operating from a worst-case scenario perspective.
Ramsammy said that thus far there have been no reports of a rise in any sickness.
Ramsammy said that there has not been any report of anything above the baseline.
Among then are plans to pay special emphasis to suicide, which according to Ramsammy is a “major public health scourge,” with 1/3 of the deaths being related to alcoholism.
Leslie Ramsammy received his PhD in Biochemistry from St.
HIV/AIDS | Guyanese Health Minister Ramsammy Discusses HIV/AIDS, Health Worker Shortages at World Health Assembly - GlobalHealthReporting.
Both cases are children There have been two new suspected cases of leptospirosis, adding to the five that Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy had identified in a recent press conference.
Dr Ramsammy said that the Ministry of Health is working assiduously to lessen the risk of persons contracting the disease.
Private hospitals have been given a March deadline for increasing their blood screening capacity or that privilege will be withdrawn, Minister of Health Leslie Ramsammy has said.
Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy had targeted having less than 10,000 new infections for last year; and in an interview with this newspaper recently, he divulged that the actual figure for the period under review was less than 8000.
Global Challenges | Guyanese Health Minister Ramsammy Discusses HIV/AIDS, Health Worker Shortages at World Health Assembly - Kaisernetwork.
ImgCaptionArray = 'Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy said that work was continuing to raise the population\'s general life expectancy rate to 70 years by 2011.
Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy said that work was continuing to raise the population's general life expectancy rate to 70 years by 2011.
Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy said the surgery will be introduced at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation on July 12 as the country expands its range of health services.
Ramsammy said that Cummings and Director of Standards and Technical Services, Dr.
In the meantime, Ramsammy said he has begun to put in place arrangements that will help to correct the deficiencies at the New Amsterdam Hospital.
Additionally, Ramsammy said short-term arrangements would be made with the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation to have some junior staff members transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital.
Ramsammy said too that he was encouraged by the response of the Berbice Medical Association with whom he met on Friday evening.
Ramsammy said the Ministry is also open to suggestions from the wider communities on reasonable ways in which the service at these institutions can be improved.
Ramsammy was clearing the air on perceived differences between himself and Chief Medical Officer, Dr.
Ramsammy had asked Cummings to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Shahabadeen Kassim, 25, at the New Amsterdam.
Guyana Health Minister Leslie Ramsammy is urging his people to collaborate more fully to avert a Dengue catastrophy in the country.
Guyana has seen a record number of Dengue Cases so far for 2008.
Leslie Ramsammy has outlined health progress being made in his country despite high levels of poverty and major floods that affected hundreds of thousands of people earlier this year.
Ramsammy said health expenditures have increased to $55 for each person every year, but the poverty rate remains high in rural interior areas, where 70 percent of the population earns less than $1 a day, and continuing cooperation is needed.
it is what Guyana needs and it is our obligation at the Ministry of Health to make that happen," Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy said at the Eighth Annual Pharmacists Convention over the weekend.
In his message for Commonwealth Pharmacy Day Minister Ramsammy said the issue of counterfeit medicine is a major issue in public health.
Minister Ramsammy said at the recent World Health Assembly, which he chaired, that this matter was considered but no conclusions were agreed on.
Leslie Ramsammy said that the doctors have already made their preparations; testing has been completed, and the persons are now being brought together.
And Minister Ramsammy said that two new dialysis centres will be introduced in 2009, which will significantly reduce the burden on the 5G Dialysis Centre.
Ramsammy said that from 1992 to 1997, the country recorded an average annual growth rate of seven per cent, but has since had difficulties in maintaining this figure.
Health Minster Dr Leslie Ramsammy said the occasion represents a milestone in Guyanas fight for life.
Leslie Ramsammy has expressed optimism about the timely completion of the new Linden Hospital that should deliver improved services to the people of Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice) and nearby communities.
Ramsammy said technical reports on his desk indicate that the project would be one in the health sector to be finished within the set time period and, having visited the site, he has seen it taking shape as is shown in the design.
The replacement will feature an operating theatre, intensive care unit, paediatric services, laboratory, blood bank, gynaecology ward and obstetrics department, among other facilities and Ramsammy said medical services would be delivered there while the one it is replacing is to be preserved to facilitate administrative fuunctions until funding could be secured for another building in the same complex.
Leslie Ramsammy met with CAMERWA and SCMS representatives to discuss collaboration, best practices, and lessons learned.
Guyana's Health Minister Leslie Ramsammy recently examined issues surrounding HIV/AIDS and health worker shortages at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, the CMC/redOrbit reports.
Ramsammy said it is necessary for the assembly to establish an "equitable solution" to the problem, adding that developing countries "must benefit from their investment in training while not limiting freedom of movement.
In addition, Ramsammy said the accessibility and availability of vaccines should not contribute to the gap in health care between developed and developing countries.
Companies involved Guyana's Health Minister, Leslie Ramsammy described the deal as a major victory for US as a region, the Associated Press news agency reports.
and another suspected case was being transferred from a private institution.
Health Minister Leslie Ramsammy said he expects Cabinet will give quick approval in the next two weeks.
Saying he is aware some Christian groups could object to the plan, Ramsammy said condoms remain the best way to stem the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Ramsammy said the need for contraceptives is urgent.
Leslie Ramsammy says everything is in place for Guyanas first kidney transplant surgery scheduled for Saturday with the US medical team scheduled to arrive in the country today.
Ramsammy said Guyana averted a major health catastrophe, partly by controlling an outbreak of a bacterial disease known as leptospirosis.
In a briefing during the 58th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Ramsammy said health expenditures in his country have increased to $55 for each person every year.
Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy said the plan is designed to provide health-care needs at crowded venues, taking into consideration that large numbers of persons will be entering Guyana for Carifesta.
Ramsammy said the Bharrat Jagdeo administration would also move to prohibit pre-employment (HIV/AIDS) testing as a policy at work places, and to regulate the prostitution industry here.
Ramsammy is said to be canvassing support from the powerful Guyana Council of Churches (GCC) and has reportedly asked the body to give him a pass on this a leading GCC has said.
Ramsammy said it was necessary to act quickly on the legal reform measures.