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Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has expressed his disgust over the way in which Guyanese use the lavatories in public places.At the launching of the strategic plan for the sanitation sector in Guyana, held at the Sea Breeze Hotel yesterday, Dr. Ramsammy said that it is a known fact that Guyanese do not know how to use the facilities.He added that there are still a lot of people who are living under insanitary conditions, and he urged that this be changed.The Health Minister is of the view that it is unacceptable to tolerate the conditions under which some public lavatory facilities are kept; and to combat this, he said, he will soon start his own ‘hall of shame,’ in which he will name those entities that have untidy toilet facilities.The first ministry he named in this respect was the Ministry of Health, where he works. According to Ramsammy, the facility is in such a disgusting state that he, as the Health Minister, has refused to use the toilet.“Public health officials are the ones who use the washrooms. They don’t know how to use the toilets; so, as Minister of Health,Cheap Jerseys From China, I can’t go into my own toilet facilities… I have to find my driver to take me home,Cheap NFL Jerseys,” Dr. Ramsammy said.In spite of the fact that he is afraid of what he will find, Dr. Ramsammy noted,Cheap Jerseys NFL, he will start to visit public places and inspect the way in which they keep their facilities.“I’m embarrassed… I’m ashamed of the way we deal with facilities such as toilets in our country. It is just not animals that create insanitary and life-threatening conditions; it is not just unseen things like bacteria and viruses. We contribute to the environment, whether it is safe or unsafe,” Minister Ramsammy noted.Dr. Ramsammy added that the sanitary conditions at the Georgetown Public Hospital and at the University of Guyana are in a terrible state.These are places,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, he said, that should not have excuses for having their toilet facilities in such condition.“But even in the homes, sometimes I travel this country and even I have to use the washroom before I get home, and it’s a nightmare for me sometimes, because I’m afraid of what I will find. So this is a public call to the citizens of this country to address the issue.”The Health Minister called for the commencement of public education in Guyana about the proper use of toilets, so that persons can be persuaded that it is a responsibility for them to use the facilities in a proper manner.It is in this respect that the Health Facilities Licensing Act has created regulations in which the sanitary blocs of health institutions have to maintain clean facilities.Minister Ramsammy explained that the new Health Protection and Promotion Bill,Wholesale Jerseys, which will replace the Public Health Ordinance Act, will also create special regulations for sanitation in Guyana.He noted that the Ministry of Health is diligently working towards the creation of a standard to be developed for latrines, since almost two-thirds of the population still relies on pit latrines.“We need to ensure that, where latrines are necessary, they meet certain standards…the traditional latrines are unworkable and unacceptable in today’s society,” Minister Ramsammy said.Ramsammy hopes that people move rapidly towards septic tanks and flush toilet facilities while the change is being made.He also expressed his annoyance at the traditional way in which most men relieve themselves on the roadside.“I do not know why men,Wholesale China Jerseys, in particular, would leave a building where there is a bathroom and would go on the roadside and have the need to unzip their crotches so they could urinate.That is criminal! We are men of low character when we decide to leave a building and go outside and urinate in the public,Cheap NFL Jerseys China,” Dr. Ramsammy noted.He also called for the banning of plastic bags and plastic bottles in Guyana. He said that it is a known fact that these materials contribute to the unsightly state in society.“It is high time that Guyana considers banning plastic bags and plastic bottles… at least restrict their use. But I know of the economic and other considerations, and as Minister of Health, I will continue to advocate for the control of the use of these materials.” (Fareeza Haniff). |
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