Rotarians and healthcare officials and staff put together the February, 2012 EMS training program in Georgetown.  A great  international team of Rotarians from Guyana and GEMINI worked closely with public health and hospital officials in Guyana to identify students and collaborate with  Emergency Education Consultants, LLC to provide an exciting world-class five day training program.  Equipment, including laptop computers, were left behind to aid EMS efforts and future instruction. Students received a flash drive Resource Kit with instructional, background EMS research and other materials.

The focus of training has been the Georgetown Public Hospital, 16 nurses of which received Certificates of Competence in February in the project's first phrase. Nine additional participants were staff of Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital, Davis Memorial Hospital, St. Joseph’s Mercy Hospital and the Guyana Red Cross Society. 'Train the trainer' instruction was accompanied by equipment and supplies, including defibrillators, bandages, and collars, all of which will be used in future training. Major topics included training in splinting, bandaging, bagging, the use of EMT equipment, transporting patients and the application of First Aid/CPR. All students were given a GEMINI produced electronic resource kit on a flash drive that included instructional materials, and links to global EMS resources and organizations.

Phase II of the GEMINI-Rotary Guyana project took place during the week of May 28-June 1. For this phase, there were 6 instructors identified to be observed by the US instructors  teaching the EMR course.  Two of these instructors had no interest in teaching so we identified another from the class, for a total of 5 Guyanese instructors.  The class consisted of 22 Guyanese health-care workers.  The US team consisted of 4 Paramedic-Instructors that would be directly observing the 5 Guyanese instructors.  The US team would mentor, evaluate and provide feedback and criticism to the Guyanese instructors. 

In the words of Tim Redding, who leads the medical team, the “passion and interest the students (in Phase I) had to learn the material was impressive. Many students excelled, worked hard and had fun..” Of Phase II he reports that 

"The Guyanese instructors performed excellently.  They showed great leadership, motivation, compassion and ability to teach.  Each of the US instructors agreed that each of the 5 Guyanese instructors would make excellent EMR instructors."

Final sessions were held in mid-October. Members of  GEMINI are currently begininng planning which may lead to an entirely new project. Here is how Lead Rotarian Ovid Fraser summarized final results:

• Some EMT skills are now widely disbursed in Guyana (67 nurses)
• Nurses are competent to teach the course
• 2 Hospitals in additioin to Georgetown Public Hospital are upgrading their ambulance services and are using project trained staff.
• One of Guyanan Trainers will be hosted in Maine for several days by a US factulty member
• A gift of 300 medical medical books from UMASS to Guyana is pending

Lead Rotarian, Ovid Fraser

Project and GEMINI Overview --- Powerpoint
Project Photos 
Guyana Country Profile

Read a project report in GEMINI's  newsletter

In-Country Sponsors and Partners  
                                                                                       
Rotary Club of Georgetown Guyana                                 
Guyana Ministry of Health

Project Publicity

Health Sector Anticipates Boost with Emergency Care Training -- Katieteur News

With Rotary Involvement -- Guyana Chronicle

25 Certified to Train EMT's -- Caribbean Trakker

Interesting Reading

Wikipedia Overview – lots of history, culture, data <!--[endif]-->

The Loneliness of Guyana – January 2012 NY Times story on the history of the Guyanas, their border disputes and who apparently owns what

John Gimlette -- Wild Coast: Travels on South America's Untamed Edge – Quite an overview of the good the bad, the ugly, and the inscrutable from a contemporary British travel writer with a good eye for people, landscape and a pretty amazing and depressing history.