Latest update November 8th, 2024 1:00 AM
Latest News
Good giving is divine says Philanthropist George Subraj
“I believe that good giving is divine and before I leave this planet I have to give back something,” said Mr George Subraj, owner of Zara Real Estate in Queens, New York.
Mr George Subraj (right) in conversation with Paediatric Surgeon, Dr Sheel Vatsia
Subraj, a Guyanese by birth, has donated financially towards the historic move to introduce paediatric open-heart operation which commenced at the weekend. He was also instrumental in facilitating the first kidney transplant in Guyana, undertaken by Dr Rahul Jindal some two years ago at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The surgeries are expected to continue throughout this week at the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI) located in the Georgetown Public Hospital compound. And his contribution is not only being done as a patriotic duty but rather as a moral deed to help enhance the lives of the less fortunate.
He funded the round trip for the 14-member overseas medical team and Chief Executive Officer of CHI, Dr Gary Stephens. Dr Stephens, himself a Guyanese by birth, is a cardiac surgeon. He related that the inaugural paediatric operations represent a manifestation of a massive collaborative venture between government and the private sector with Government and Subraj doing the “heavy lifting.”
According to the dedicated philanthropist he has done well over the years thus he continues to return to his land of birth to help the less fortunate. “I have been coming back to Guyana with Guyana Watch since 1992 on a yearly basis and I have travelled from Corriverton to Charity.
I have seen so many children but sometimes they are gone by the time you come back because they do not have the funds to go overseas to get an operation done.”
And it was literally in the air, Subraj recounted, that he met Dr Stephens and for the first time signalled his intention to help the efforts of CHI with plans to introduce paediatric open heart surgery here.
“I was coming to Guyana for another project. We (Subraj and Dr Stephens) started talking and I said I was interested in helping the programme but I wasn’t sure how I could have helped. I am not a doctor; I never went to grad school… So Dr Stephens asked me what I wanted to do and I said I wanted to play a major role in helping the less fortunate.”
Following the screening of potential patients some three months ago, in addition to a list submitted by Guyana Watch, some 11 patients were selected to be among the inaugural operations, an undertaking which comes free of cost to them.
Subraj is credited as the biggest private sector donor to the initiative, an undertaking he claims to have gladly done. In recognition of the fact that he came into the world with nothing and can take nothing upon his departure, Subraj said that he is willing to repeat his support.
“I have been personally blessed with more than what I need and there are a lot of people who have less than what they need. So before I leave this planet I feel I should give back something.”
Other financial donors include: Mr John Tracey and staff of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry, Mr Gregory Dean and staff of Digicel Guyana, Laparkan Shipping, Pegasus Hotel, Lake Persaud and Pastor Graham of World Vision Church.
The local Ministry of Health is credited with donating some US$20,000 of the estimated $50,000 cost of the entire historic undertaking which comes as part of efforts to expand the types of routine operations offered locally.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
A lesson from the bread lines of America
…Peeping Tom Kaieteur News- If the American elections of 2024 delivered any one lesson to the rest of the world, it... more
Rising Gun Crimes in the Caribbean: Urgent Action required by all
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News – There is an alarming surge in gun-related violence, particularly among younger... more
Weekend Cartoon
