Dr Ramesh Sugrim, a 66-year-old general practitioner who has been serving Guyana for over 30 years, is currently battling for his life after being diagnosed with the COVID-19 disease in the United States of America.
Dr Sugrim, who has his practice in East Berbice Corentyne, tested positive on March 27 while visiting his family in the U.S.
His wife, Parbattie Sugrim and his son Dr Surendra Sugrim also tested positive for the disease and are said to be recovering but the senior Dr Sugrim is listed in a critical condition.
His brother Suresh Sugrim who is the President of the Humanitarian Mission in Guyana says a miracle is needed.
“We are asking for your prayers at this moment irrelevant of which religious denomination you belong to. It has been a very difficult time due to coronavirus and you all are quite aware of the current pandemic, we would like to say to you and take this moment to thank everyone for their, care, concern and many blessings and I am asking that you continue to keep Dr Sugrim and his immediate family under your prayers.
“He is no stranger to anyone in Guyana. We are all praying that God does some kind of miracle for him,” his brother told the News Room Tuesday.
A father of two, Dr Sugrim left his family in the U.S and chose to work in Guyana.
He has a clinic at Williamsburg on the Corentyne. He established a reputation of being amongst the best when it comes to diagnosing and treating patients with Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) known as ‘stroke.’
Outside of the medical profession, Dr Sugrim is also a well-known philanthropist and religious leader.
His family is pleading with everyone to adhere to the strict social distancing guidelines set out by the World Health Organisation to stop the spread of the disease.
“We are appealing to everyone to please adhere to the guidelines, this virus has no respect for race, class, wealth, status, gender or age. It is an equalizer in modern times and if you do not take the necessary precautions you could be the next victim along with those that you love.
“Please wear your masks, practice social distancing, stay at home and sanitize frequently,” the brother said.
At the weekend, Chairman on the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) Moses Nagamootoo said the New York Consulate had recorded the names of 34 Guyanese who died from COVID-19 in the U.S.
He said the task force is in contact with diplomatic missions across the world to get an accurate figure of how many Guyanese died from the disease in other countries.
