A police outpost should be built on the site of the former Supenaam Dispensary

Dear Editor, Two years ago a letter I wrote was published in the Stabroek News and Kaieteur News. I basically said that the building which formerly housed the Supenaam Dispensary should be renovated and converted into a police outpost or any other facility from which the general public would derive some benefit, and should not be privatized or used for any purpose that would only serve the financial interest of one person or group of persons.

From my recollection it was a dispensary for more than six decades, and was one of the few medical institutions where the medical staff member would make himself available twenty-four hours per day. Its rich history should be preserved; the history of this village would not be properly written without that building being mentioned and more than a mouthful said about the many dispensers, midwives and support staff who worked there.

But lo and behold, the building was left to deteriorate; the compound was left untended and became the home and nesting ground for many insects including the dreaded African bees, while reptiles and even snakes or an elephant could have stood there unnoticed. The zinc sheets from the roof were vandalized and the interior was left to the forces of nature.

It would sound unbelievable, but it is certainly true that the building was about a mere six or seven rods from where the Parika to Supenaam speedboat docks and leaves from. This is an exit and entry point to the Region used by most people, including tourists, local and foreign, as well as most regional and national officials, and ministers of government. It was an eyesore; it was an embarrassment to the administration both at the national and regional level.

I was reliably informed that about eight years ago the Commissioner of Police and the Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force visited the building and it was agreed that the area was

most suitable for a police outpost and that the required repairs and renovations would be done. Unfortunately, about two years ago this building was dismantled and the side was sand filled, but the much touted outpost or any other facility that the general public would benefit from is still to be constructed.

I have to mention that a new and bigger building was constructed that houses the dispensary not too far away. I hope that the general public and also the national and regional officials would advocate strongly for that much needed outpost. Yours faithfully, Archie W Cordis Former AFC Councillor Region 2