Emergency medical response activated for burnt Mahdia children- Pres Ali

Last Updated on Monday, 22 May 2023, 3:13 by Denis Chabrol

President Irfaan Ali said early Monday morning that an emergency medical response post has been established at the Eugene F. Correia ‘Ogle’ International Airport to provide initial medical treatment to numerous children who were burnt in a school dormitory at Mahdia.

“We are setting up an emergency centre here. Everything is being set up in Georgetown here to receive the critical and severely injured children,” he said.

Several privately-owned aircraft from Roraima Airways, Trans Guyana Airways as well as the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) have been dispatched to the town located more than 100 miles south-west of Georgetown. “We have sent in all the possible medical personnel that can assist in the situation and we have also sent into a medical team to accompany the medivacs out,” he said.

Dr Ali said he has ordered that medical teams be on standby to treat the severe and critically injured on arrival at the country’s secondary airport. He said the nearby Infectious Disease ‘COVID’ Hospital at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown was also preparing to receive a number of the injured and others would be dispatched to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

“What we definitely know is that it’s horrific. The full result of what took place is not available as yet. That is not the concentration now. The concentration is now on the children and to ensure that we give them as much help as we can,” he said.

Latest statistics are that two children are critical and two severely injured.

The opposition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) urged a full investigation and that the report be made public.

Counselling is also expected to be provided to the survivors and their family members.