This project supports RAM's Women's Health Program - providing free, timely, and consistent cervical cancer screenings, HPV vaccinations, and diagnostic and preventative services to the remote villages of Guyana. Volunteer providers partner with local healthcare professionals to bring essential care to Amerindian women. Before COVID-19 travel restrictions halted efforts, this program expanded to provide diabetes and blood pressure screenings, pediatric and medical clinics, and vaccinations.
Guyana is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, with 35% of the population living in absolute poverty. A high incidence of cervical cancer among women (around 1 in 100) is in large part due to an absence of a national screening program that would aim to treat pre-malignant disease many years before it develops. The Amerindian population in Guyana is among the most impoverished in the country; many indigenous women have died due to lack of equipment, training, and treatment.
We partner with local providers, clinics, and hospitals to further education to bring care to the Interior of Guyana. Prevention Team: offers screenings, HPV vaccinations, and gynecological services. LEEP Team: Local OBGYNs train to use a portable LEEP machine when traveling to remote villages so that they can properly treat the conditions that increasingly affect Amerindian women. Sub-Specialist Surgical Team: performs radical hysterectomies for cancer patients at Lethem Regional Hospital.
This program has served nearly 74,000 Guyanese people to date. Surveillance and response has increased for neglected tropical infectious diseases in the region which are widespread but can be prevented, controlled, and eventually, eliminated. With your donations, RAM can provide medication, treatment, and supplies, and provide funds for upkeep on the portable LEEP machine, travel, maintenance of vehicles to transport the supplies and medical volunteers, helping us reach more patients in need.
