Happiness Through Healthcare: Making Guyana A Healthy Nation
Happiness is one of the vital aspects of being healthy. Similarly, being healthy is one of the vital aspects of being happy.
At Lincoln American University, we believe that all people deserve a good quality education, health, and of course, happiness. We also understand that today, the world doesn’t have enough number of doctors to take care of the health of all the people, and we believe that by working together, we can help more aspiring doctors become healthcare professionals who can take care of the healthcare needs and spread happiness through healthcare.
Guyana is home to us, and we are confident that the nation is on the right track to achieve health for all, thanks to the endeavors of Ministry of Public Health, Government of Guyana which are joined by organizations like World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). While Guyana is not the healthiest country in the world, it is making progress at a fast pace.
“All people of Guyana are among the healthiest in the Caribbean and the Americas by the year 2020.”
- The Health Vision 2020, A National Health Strategy for Guyana
The Health Vision 2020, a National Health Strategy for Guyana for the period from 2016-2020, which is part of the Government Program to provide “A Good Life For All ” is based upon two pillars:
- Universal Health Coverage; and
- Addressing the Social Determinants of Health.
We believe that all the people living in Guyana have a role to play in this program to make this initiative a success, including us. In this post, we are going to discuss ways how we, at Lincoln American University, are helping “A Good Life For All ” and “ The Health Vision 2020 ” initiative and how can you play a role in the initiative and thrive along the way:
Enabling Aspiring Doctors Get Medical Education In Guyana
If you make a doctor, you treat thousands of lives – that’s one of the ideas that drive us to provide affordable and quality medical education in Guyana, not only to Guyanese medical aspirants, but also the aspiring doctors from other countries of the world.
Presently, 200+ students are studying medicine at LAU Campus in Georgetown City who, within a few years, will qualify as doctors and will take charge of the healthcare needs of the nation.
We also understand that not all medical aspirants hail from rich families and that medical education should be affordable. Today, we are proud that in the entire Caribbean and South America region, Lincoln American University is the most affordable medical university and also the fastest-growing medical college in Guyana.
In the times to come, our medical graduates, who are currently pursuing their MD in Guyana, will ensure that people in Guyana have access to quality healthcare at affordable cost contributing to Universal Health Coverage, one of the pillars of Guyana’s National Health Strategy.
If you make a doctor, you treat thousands of lives.
Making Guyanese Aware of Education & Health
Awareness is the key to an enlightened future and a healthy world. To make students and people of Guyana aware of the importance of medical education and impact doctors make on the world, we organize seminars in schools.
Seminars focused on medical education and health not only guide the students towards the pathway to become a doctor but also gives them an opportunity to raise their concerns and queries before the experts and discover solutions, craft a vision for their future as medical students and healthcare professionals, and affirm their commitment to healthcare.
Medical Outreach Programs
LAU members frequently volunteer for the community and health outreach programs organized by Guyana International Relief Organization (GIRO) and other regional organizations.
LAU faculty members and medical students have provided healthcare service to hundreds of Guyanese, and we will keep continuing to organize and participate in health programs in Guyana where people in need are welcomed and provided free health-checkups and medicine, ensuring equity in healthcare and better health for everyone.
Contributions In-Kind
Since 2019, the Student Governing Association of LAU also organizes Annual Blood Donation Drive to contribute to the Blood Bank of Guyana.
Our first Blood Donation Drive was organized in June 2019 with the theme of “Give Blood, Give Life” in the presence of Dr. Pedro Lewis, Director of National Blood Bank, Guyana, and other distinguished guests in which students as well as LAU staff members donated blood. Our members have also donated blood in the Blood Donation Camp organized by Guyana International Relief Organization (GIRO) and National Community Development Council (NCDC) in collaboration with the Blood Bank of Guyana.
How Can You Join?
The two of the most common ways in which you can join the initiative of making Guyana and the people around you healthy are:
- Be Aware and Get Help: Seek ways to make yourself aware of the latest trends in basic medical education and healthcare. Join seminars, outreach programs, and other community initiatives and explore what little steps you can take to make your health better.
- Make People Aware and Give Help: If you are a subject expert, share your knowledge with others. Make people aware of the steps they can take to live a healthy life. If you are a healthcare professional, help people in need to get affordable care. For those who are suffering, a little help goes miles away.
Besides these two common steps, we ask medical aspirants to join the medical programs, study smart, give their best to medical education, research, and training, become great doctors, and take charge of the healthcare needs of the people.
We believe that we are living in the golden age of modern education, that we are on the right path to improve medical education and healthcare in Guyana, and that the best days are ahead of us, and we will contribute to that in all ways we can.
Cheers to a healthy nation and a healthy world, in the making!
