In attempt to meet international standards Veterinary Board strengthening policies

The Veterinary Board of Guyana has embarked on seeking to strengthen its strategies to ensure
services offered benefit Guyanese and mirror international standards.
Dr. Nardeo Bassoodeo, Chairman of the Board revealed that his team plans to put systems in
place, which he said will see veterinarians exhibiting standardised services nationwide, and close
gaps hindering the sector. He said that to improve the working standard of Animal Health
Assistants, the Board has scheduled a two-day sensitisation workshop for October 28-29. This
virtual forum will focus on the legal role and responsibilities of the practitioners.

Dr. Bassoodeo noted further that the health assistants are essential in the profession, since they
would complement the work of the veterinarians. “The workshop is coming at a time when
Guyana is moving at a very fast pace both on the local scene and on the international scene. As
Guyanese, we should all aim to have a better Guyana and with the Caribbean Community now
moving towards a single registration, we should now put our house in order,” Dr. Bassoodeo was
quoted by DPI as saying on Tuesday. He stressed that while the Board is determined to advance
its veterinary medicine service, the chairman said it also wants to have improved communication
with those involved in human health.
“Many know about the zoonotic disease and pathogens that could affect human, animals and
beyond, and they could have devastated impact on the environment-an environment of which we
depend on to produce food for the nation and the world. So, with us doing this we would be
moving one step closer to make sure that the services provided here in Guyana are of
international standards,” the chairman declared. He added that additionally, the Veterinary Board
is seeking to revise the Veterinary Act of 2003 thus affixing regulations which will allow
veterinary practitioners to work in a more improved manner.
Mr. Omadatt Chandan, Attorney–at–Law reiterated the importance of the two legislations-
licensing and registration and the code of practice for veterinarians and animal health assistants.
Chandan said that public consultation on the two issues will begin soon. ‘There is need for us to
have a code of practice because from time to time, you would hear animal rights organisations
complaining about the standard of animal health care. So, there is a need for us to standardise
and bring up to a certain standard,” the attorney–at–law said.m
Meanwhile, Dr. Rennard Overton, Chairman of the Ethics Committee noted that since the
establishment of the Board earlier this year, there have been about six engagements with
members of the public who raised concerns about the quality of animal health care. “We have
dealt with some of those concerns and others are still being addressed…the ethics committee
would receive these communications from person in the public and then we would launch an
investigation and see what corrective methods, if any, are necessary, to put in place,” Dr.
Overton added.