Health Pilot Training, Guyana

Background | Project Objectives | Description

PROJECT STATUS: ACTIVE

PARTNER/CLIENT NAME: Guyana Goldfields Inc., IFC CommDev, IFC SME Department, Newfields, Swiss Tropical Institute

COUNTRY/REGION: Guyana, Latin America

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOCUS: ASM, Labor, Health & Security, Sustainable Community Development.

MINING SECTOR: Gold 

BACKGROUND 

The IFC Small and Medium Enterprises(SME) Department's Global Linkages Unit developed a Health Training Pilot for Guyana Goldfields Inc. The design and implementation plans of this Health Pilot were developed at the explicit request of Guyana Goldfields as the company sees that health issues are affecting its own operations as well as its interactions with the artisanal communities. The company camps are in a region of Guyana where it is estimated that about 1,200 small scale artisanal miners and laborers live housed in makeshift shacks in very precarious health conditions. Currently, the only medical service available to artisanal mining communities surrounding the company's camps is provided by the Guyana Goldfields medics who treat malaria, typhoid and other water borne diseases as well as injuries. Because malaria and dengue are vector borne diseases, disease in the artisanal mining camps can spread to the company's camps. Consequently, the company derives a significant value from improving the health of the surrounding artisanal mining camps.

The basic social services such as health centers, schools are not being provided properly for the rural communities, as they are in a remote area of the country where there is little local government presence.  Guyana Goldfields identified the need to fill this gap by creating a program to raise awaress of health issues around ectractive industry projects. The implementation of this project commenced in February 2008.

 PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the proposed Health Pilot are to:

• build a business case that improving the health of Guyana Goldfields' workers
• improve also the broader artisanal community surrounding the project 

DESCRIPTION 

This pilot aims to achieve the following impacts for the company staff as well as for the community surrounding the project area:

1. change in behavior to reduce number of sick days; and
2. create greater awareness and provide access to health information concerning the prevention of malaria, dengue, typhoid and other waterborne diseases.

The health consultancy firm, Newfields, has been identified on a competitive basis as the most suitable firm to conduct this project and here’s a brief description of the terms of reference:

1. Perform a baseline health assessment and identify major health risks associated with current practices and behavior by workers at the company camps and surrounding communities. This will require 2 weeks in the field by a full team led by a medical and public health doctor and including a public health specialist nurse and a health specialist from the Swiss Tropical Institute; 
2. Develop a detailed action plan to mitigate identified risks that is practical and cost effective given the logistical constraints of a remote tropical jungle location (and working with artisanal mining communities); 
3. Train the trainers (company medics artisanal mining community leaders): the Swiss Tropical Institute health specialist will coach and supervise the necessary changes in practices and behavior for company staff and find willing peer educators among the communities who are willing to take this role of trainer during a period of one month in the field; 
4. Four to six months after the health assessment, the full team will return to the field to evaluate whether changes in practice and behavior have occurred, and if the level of sick days has decreased.

 
Activities to date

There is no reported activities to date, as this project is in the initial phase. This will be updated on a regular basis.