USS KEARSARGE VISIT A HUGE SUCCESS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GEORGETOWN 000698

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: GY SOCI PREL MARR
SUBJECT: USS KEARSARGE VISIT A HUGE SUCCESS


1. (U) Summary. On November 22, the USS KEARSARGE concluded
its two-week humanitarian medical and engineering mission to
Guyana, the final stop on its six-nation "Continuing Promise
2008" mission. Medical and dental practitioners provided care
at three sites in one of Guyana's more remote and underserved
regions; the ship's engineering teams also carried out
construction and renovation projects in five locations around
Georgetown. The KEARSARGE's mission was well-received by the
media, public, and government, with President Jagdeo
personally expressing his thanks to the crew at a private
lunch. Despite the tremendous logistical challenges involved
in the mission, the ship's medical personnel treated a total
of 6,642 patients; this figure constitutes more than a
quarter of that region's entire population. End Summary.


2. (U) The USS KEARSARGE's final stop on its four-month,
six-nation humanitarian mission began November 9, when the
ship moored seventeen nautical miles off the coast of Guyana.
(Note: As was the case with the similar mission of the USNS
COMFORT in September 2007, the KEARSARGE could not come any
closer to shore due to Guyana's shallow coastal waters. End
Note.) Per previous consultations with the GoG's Ministry of
Health, the ship's medical activities were focused in Region
One, the country's northwesternmost province on the border
with Venezuela, and also one of Guyana's more remote and
underserved areas. Over the following twelve days, the ship's
150 medical and dental practitioners offered services in
three locations: from November 10-15 in Region One's
administrative capital, Mabaruma; from November 12-20 in
Santa Rosa; and from November 17-21 in Port Kaituma.

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What the U.S. Gained
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3. (SBU) Media reporting of the mission was sustained and
positive (to be reported SEPTEL),and reflected the positive
perceptions of the public and the Government of Guyana. The
highest levels of the GoG participated in the KEARSARGE's
visit: President Jagdeo, Prime Minister Hinds, five Cabinet
ministers, and the Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defense Force
were flown out to the ship for tours, while the Prime
Minister and another minister were also flown out for a site
visit to Port Kaituma. With his participation in both the
mission's opening and closing ceremonies, Prime Minister
Hinds took part in five separate KEARSARGE-related
activities, including while serving as Acting President for
the closing ceremony. President Jagdeo was sufficiently
impressed and pleased by the mission that he invited fifteen
members of the KEARSARGE and Embassy teams to a private
brunch at his residence on November 20. President Jagdeo
expressed his gratitude for the work performed during the
mission, noting that it had changed the lives of many
Guyanese and he hoped that these joint activities would
continue.


4. (U) Perhaps equally as compelling as the participation and
public statements of the country's political leadership was
the buy-in and appreciation from average citizens. Three
teenagers from the Region One village of Parakeese Island
exemplified the local commitment to contribute by paddling
two hours in a canoe -- each way -- from their homes to
volunteer their time at the Santa Rosa treatment site. And
upon arriving for their tour at the Port Kaituma treatment
site, the Prime Minister and Charge were met by throngs of
cheering children -- an image broadcast widely by attending
media.


5. (SBU) What was probably the mission's single greatest
accomplishment ironically did not involve the provision of
medical care, per se. On November 18, one of the KEARSARGE's
helicopters airlifted a 14-year old girl suffering from a
ruptured appendix from Region One to Georgetown, where she
underwent a lifesaving appendectomy by a qualified local
surgeon at a private Georgetown hospital. According to the
surgeon and the ship's medical team, without the emergency
airlift she would have had little chance of survival. By
amazing coincidence, and without the MFA, post or the ship
knowing in advance, the young patient was actually a first
cousin of Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues,
herself a native of Regon One who alerted the Charge to the
relationship a few days later. The assistance rendered by the
KEARSARGE helicopter squadron garnered highly favorable press
interest after post informed the local media, although
neither the post nor the MFA has mentioned the girl's highly
placed relative, for fear of implying that she received
preferential treatment.

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What Guyana Received

GEORGETOWN 00000698 002 OF 002


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6. (U) Despite the remote location of many small villages in
Region One, the widely dispersed population responded with
immediate and sustained interest in the services offered. The
KEARSARGE reported that its medical and dental personnel
treated 6,642 patients during the course of the mission,
which constitutes more than a quarter of Region One's entire
population of 23,200 (2002 Census figure). There were also 66
surgeries performed; 36 were done onboard the ship by its
surgeons, while doctors from a participating U.S.-based NGO,
Project Hope, performed 30 surgeries at the Georgetown Public
Hospital on individuals who had been pre-selected by the
Ministry of Health.


7. (U) The ship's engineering and construction teams
performed renovations and repairs at five locations in and
around Georgetown. These sites included a regional hospital,
a community center, a convalescent home for children, a
school, and a playground. The work carried out varied with
each site, but generally involved the installation of
counters, sinks, handrails, stairways, outdoor lighting,
security fencing, and playground equipment, as well as
exterior painting and significant plumbing and electrical
repairs.

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The KEARSARGE and Embassy Team Effort
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8. (U) An Embassy-wide team, involving most LES and U.S.
staff augmented by SOUTHCOM/SOCSOUTH support, facilitated and
maximized the KEARSARGE's mission at all of the activity
sites. Working closely with GoG ministries, the Guyana
Defense Force, Guyana Police Force, and NGO partners, the
interagency team assured that no mission-compromising
logistical or security breakdowns transpired.


9. (U) Adhering to Mission Strategic Plan objectives, and
following on the heels of a similar endeavor undertaken
during the USNS COMFORT visit last year, the Embassy team
organized a polling exercise to gauge the effectiveness of
pre-arrival advertising, as well as the level of patient
satisfaction with the service they received. More than 4,000
responses were recorded. While the aggregated figures and
analysis will be forthcoming in septel once the data has been
processed, a couple of preliminary findings stand out:
approximately two-thirds of the patients had heard about the
mission through word of mouth, rather than media or
advertising -- a significantly higher percentage than was the
case with the Georgetown-centered COMFORT mission, and
indicative of the minimal access to media sources in such
remote areas. In addition, among survey responses already
tabulated, 98 percent of those surveyed indicated they were
"pleased" or "very pleased" with the care and attention they
received from the attending medical personnel.


10. (SBU) Comment: The patient volume and the logistics to
support the ship's mission were remarkable achievements in
light of the challenges that Guyana presented, principally
the need to transport all personnel, patients, and supplies
by helicopter due to the KEARSARGE's mooring well off-shore.
This is especially true considering that the medical
activities were performed in hard-to-reach sites in Region
One that necessitated constant repositioning of the ship up
and down the coast. Notably, unlike the COMFORT visit when
there were minor rumblings of discontent that the immense
public turn-out for US-provided medical services reflected
poorly on Guyana, post heard of no negative reaction
whatsoever to the mission of the KEARSARGE. To the contrary,
the ship visit served spectacularly as the pinnacle of our
year-long efforts in humanitarian assistance -- our highest
Mission Strategic Plan priority. Although a huge undertaking
for a mission of our size, the payoffs in political cache and
public diplomacy outweigh the sacrifices. Keep the missions
coming! End Comment.

Jones