VZCZCXRO3061
PP RUEHGR
DE RUEHGE #0698/01 3451811
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101811Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6875
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY

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. 
 
-------------------- 
What the U.S. Gained 
-------------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
-------------------- 
What Guyana Received 
 
GEORGETOWN 00000698  002 OF 002 
 
 
-------------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
------------------------------------- 
The KEARSARGE and Embassy Team Effort 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶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