Community Health Worker breaks silence

St. Anslems Community Health Worker, Daniel Roberts has broken his silence with regards to
issues surrounding him and the Regional Health Officer, Dr Steven Cheefoon of Region One.
Roberts who graduated in 2018 said that he believes he is being victimized in every possible way
as a move to force him to quit. He confessed that his dream is to become a professional nurse but
intends to work his way up the profession. The twenty-one year old said that he remains
traumatized like other family members over the way he has been treated by the RHO. He
accused him of victimizing him stating that it is an orchestrated plan for him to quit the
profession he dreamt all his life to enter.
“My father was a Community Health Worker for a number of years before he retired. I find it
heartbreaking that I am the only CHW in my community and instead of the RHO giving me the
required support he continues to victimize me,” a soft-spoken Roberts related.
Roberts disclosed that he recently recovered from COVID 19, relating that sixteen other family
members tested positive. He said despite being in quarantine and isolation, the RHO haven’t
enquired about his health but accused him of not performing his duties. “This is very hurtful as I
am giving my best to Region One doing all that I can to asset my fellow residents and villagers. I
was unable to perform my duties for a while because I had COVID. I was very hurt when he told
me that he will seek to have me dismissed, is this the way you treat hardworking health care
workers,” a dejected Roberts asked.
Roberts wants the Ministry of Health to investigate these allegations, stressing that if nothing is
done it will force people out of the system. He declared that he is forced to ask if he is being
victimized because he is an Amerindian, noting that several other persons have similar stories.
“I am not the first, but I am concerned because it seems like my problems with Dr Cheefoon
seems not to be coming to an end. Last Friday, he spoke to me in the presence of the REO and
made a number of allegations but I would think that instead of accusing me he should have
checked with my supervisor before making baseless allegations,” he argued.
Giving an insight into the matter, Daniel said that on July 15 he returned from Cawaikure with
symptoms of the disease. He said he was screened and checked out at the hospital where he was
placed in isolation. He said five days later his results returned negative. He was however placed
on fourteen days home quarantine.
He said that after his isolation he received instructions from his supervisor, Medex Lorraine Jilks
to work at the Mabaruma hospital for the time being.  This, he noted, was done when last month
he learnt that his grandfather was tested positive for COVID and after being in contact with his
grandfather, he too was tested while he was on home quarantine.

“While I was on home quarantine my results returned that I was positive along with other family
members. I was placed in isolation at the Fire Station. I spent ten days there and the RHO knew
because several family members were positive,” the upset Daniel said.
The CHW said that he tried informing the RHO at the meeting with the REO about the situation,
but his explanation was ignored. The RHO instructed him to write a letter explaining why he
shouldn’t be dismissed.
“It is clear that the RHO wants me to leave and he isn’t the only one who wants this, but I have
all my medicals and the reports because the Medex can verify this,” Daniels said.
He said that he is forced to travel some one and a half hours every day to and from work,
because there isn’t any accommodation for him in Mabaruma at the time.
Expressing frustrations, the CHW said that he is very disappointed that the REO hasn’t done
anything in his defense. He said that he is ready to give up, but his mother continues to urge him
to stay on, telling him that things will get better.
“Currently I am the only person in my community who is a Community Health Worker and I am
in this profession because I have a love for it and they (authorities) don’t really care about the
residents as when they remove me what will happen to the people here,” he asked.