The Ministry of Public Health may soon have to airlift medical supplies to Issano if efforts to remove the dredge blocking the Mazaruni River channel fail, GINA said.
The sunken dredge or ‘dragga’ in the Mazaruni River is affecting the supply of drugs to health facilities that serve a number of villages along the Mazaruni River. The dredge belongs to Crown Mining Company.
Director of Regional Health Services, Dr. Kay Shako is hoping that the channel could be cleared so that supplies could be delivered by the end of this week. However, if efforts to salvage the dredge are unsuccessful, the ministry’s next option will be to transport drugs by air, GINA said.
Medex at the Issano Health Centre, Josephine Murphy told the Government Information Agency (GINA), that since the sinking of the dredge in June, there has been a difficulty in getting medical supplies to the Health Centre.
Murphy explained that prior to the sinking of the dredge, the Health Centre received drugs in a timely manner.
Over the weekend, the government engaged a salvager to remove the dredge. A site visit was made on Saturday last.
Issano is a landing community giving access to mining lands as well as neighbouring Isenero. The health centre at Issano serves an estimated population of just over 100 persons. Persons traversing mining areas would seek medical attention at the health centre.
