The Contribution of Guyanese to the field of Nursing, Health & Well-being (Sunday, 30th Oct 2022)

The following Guyana SPEAKS presenters talk about their (or their family's) contribution to the field of medicine, health and/or wellbeing within the UK and/or Guyana: Vimal Tiwari, Dr Farah Ramjohn, , Alift Harewood, Lilette Denton, Lynette Richards Lorde and Peter Ramrayka. Scroll down for their bios.
Vimal Tiwari was born in Georgetown and brought up by her maternal grandparents Ramjas and Seelochnie Tiwari. She attended St Gabriel's School and the Bishops High School and moved to the UK at the age of 17 to attend university. Since then she has lived in the UK and following medical school and post-graduate studies, has worked as a general practitioner. She is married with one son. Vimal will be speaking about the extraordinary life and achievements of her grandfather, Ramjas Tiwari, who made major contributions to the field of medicine and culture in Guyana.
Dr Farah Ramjohn , BSc. (Hons) BDS (Livpl) MJDF RCS (Eng) PG Dip (Eastman) PG Cert (Bed). Dr Farah Ramjohn is the owner of The Ivory Dental Practice and has been in practice for over 18 years. She enjoys teaching and has been a past trainer for newly qualified dentists and Honorary lecturer at Barts and the Royal London. She is active in dental politics and has been the past Chair of Barnet London Dental Committee (LDC) for over 5 years. This year saw her newly elected to the General Dental Practice Committee (GDPC), which negotiates with government on behalf of dentists. Farah is a jazz singing dentist who has performed for over 15 years at the Methodist Central Hall in Westminster for the charity AGNAP (Association of Guyana Nurses and Allied Professionals) and has served as Vice Chair for this charity. She has also lent her musical abilities to the Guyanese Law Association (GLA) for many a Christmas performance as well as sharing the stage at Fairfield Hall (Croydon) for the charity Performance to raise funds for Guyana from the 2001 Tsunami.
Lynette Richards Lorde left Guyana aged 19 in 1959 and initially trained as a SRN nurse. She later undertook midwifery training in Cheltenham and Birmingham. After further training, she became a teaching midwife in Croydon. She went from being in a management post as a nursing officer in Greenwich to becoming a senior nursing officer in Wandsworth. When she was appointed Divisional Nursing Officer, she became the first black nurse to reach such a position. She was advisor to the district on midwifery and women’s services and responsible for commissioning a new unit and closing three others, creating a service which was regarded as a centre of excellence, resulting in invitations to talk to government select committees and an exchange visit to Oklahoma District Hospital. Lynette went on to become Director of Nursing and Midwifery for hospital and community services and was later promoted to Unit General Manager for all women and children’s services. After retirement Lynette took on advisory and voluntary roles, including representing the UK at Strasbourg on a European committee dealing with inequalities in health. She does voluntary work as a community champion for Diabetes UK.
Alift Harewood MBE, was born in Kitty, British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1934. She was brought up in the rural village of Anna Catherina by her maternal grandmother from the age of 3. Alift was ambitious and had no intention of settling into the usual role of a domestic worker. In 1965 she travelled by ship to England. After a few false starts, she qualified as a SRN nurse. Since the hospital refused to pay her a commensurate salary, she retrained as a mid-wife. Alift returned to British Guiana on receiving news of her husband’s unexpected death. Unable to find employment, her stay was short. In 1968 she headed back to the UK with her children and went on to practice as an agency nurse for 59 years.She has a BSc in Social Science, a BA in Contemporary Theatre, and a MA in International Politics. She has served as Mayor of Macclesfield twice (2012-2013 and 2016-2018). In 2016 she was awarded a MBE for her contribution to community.
Peter Ramrayka is a Senior Healthcare Management Executive (of 61 years experience). He served within the Royal Air Force Medical Branch between 1961-70, the National Health Service/ Department of Health for 33 years and in National and International health management consultancies for19 years. He is actively and concurrently involved in voluntary work as the Chair of Guyhealth(UK) since 1993, within the RAF Association on the Branch/ National Welfare Committee and is on the Advisory Board of the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival. He was a former JP, former Borough Chair, national political party. He is the author of Recycling the Son of the British Raj and contributing author of: Memory, Migration and (De) Colonisation in the Caribbean and Beyond; Nursing Nation - An Anthology of African and Caribbean Contributions in Britain’s Health Services .

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