The Guyana government has expressed concern over a new policy in Barbados which bars non-nationals from accessing government healthcare, except in cases of emergency or public threat.
Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett
Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett told Guyana Times International on April 07th that she was informed of this decision via a recent publication in the media, but the information has not yet been confirmed. However, she stated, it is a serious concern for the Guyana government, since Guyanese will naturally be affected.
“There are Guyanese there who may not have permanent resident status, but who may be on work permits; so we are checking to see if this is true, and how we can get this rectified,” she said.
In a recent statement to the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners, the Barbados government stated that no medical services, “including diagnostic, clinical or pharmaceutical, shall be provided to individuals who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents”.
However the medical body was advised that individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents will be provided with such services only “in circumstances of genuine emergency, prenatal care, immunisation, conditions of current public health significance, or HIV/AIDS treatment”. Non-nationals will otherwise be advised to seek medical treatment from a private sector provider of their choice.
Rodrigues-Birkett explained that the Guyana government is very concerned about the wellbeing of its citizens in other countries, and assured that the government is keeping a close eye on matters of complaints that may come from Guyanese living abroad.
Guyanese have, in the past, been victims of ill treatment in Barbados.
The foreign affairs minister explained that when those instances had reached an all-time high in 2009, the Guyana government had been in continuous discussions with Barbados regarding concerns raised by Guyanese resident there. “I had even visited Barbados and met with some of the people who claimed they were being ill treated; and I listened to their concerns, then I met with my counterpart, and we have been engaged in discussions since then.”
However, she noted that Guyana cannot just “take actions blindly” when certain claims are made; but if it is a case where the rights of Guyanese are clearly being violated, then these matters will be dealt with.
On May 5, 2009, the Barbados government implemented a policy whereby Caricom national immigrants who were not documented would have faced deportation if they did not regularise their immigration status by December 2009.
This policy saw the ‘deportation’ of numerous Guyanese, who also made claims of harassment from Bajan officials during the process.
Commenting on the recent incident in which a Jamaican immigrant claimed she had been finger raped by Bajan authorities at the airport, Rodrigues-Birkett said that it is a major concern if people are being profiled and subjected to such treatment in any country, not just Barbados; and that it is a matter that the Guyana government takes very seriously.
