A tribute to Doctor Ricardo

A special tribute to Dr. Ricardo Baeza Carrion

Medical fraternity says farewell to Dr. Baeza By Shirley Thomas.

A moving Thanksgiving Service for the life of Dr. Ricardo Baeza Carrion, Head of the Orthopedic Department of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), was yesterday held at the institution’s the East Street tarmac. During the approximate two-and-a-half hour proceedings, Dr. Baeza’s body was viewed as hundreds of mourners filed past the casket bearing his remains. Among these were

Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy; Cuban Charge d’Affaires Pedro Arteaga Cardenas; Director of Professional Medical Services of the GPHC Dr. Madan Rambarran; Chief Executive Officer of the GPHC – Mr. Michael Khan, and others. Also present were other dignitaries and scores of members of the public whose lives Dr. Baeza had touched.

Dr. Ricardo Baeza Carrion was born in Cuba on August 31, 1961 to Felicia Carrion and the late Ricardo Baeza. He graduated from the High Institute of Medical Sciences, Havana in 1985 and continued his studies. He arrived in Guyana in 1984 and initially worked as a Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon at the Suddie Hospital in Essequibo. He was transferred to the GPH where he completed a two-year stint, returning to Cuba. In July 1976, he returned to Guyana when he became an employee of the then Public Hospital Georgetown in the capacity of Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon. He was appointed the Head of Department – Orthopedic Surgery, GPHC from July 2001and remained there up to the time of his death on New Year’s Eve , 2008.

Meanwhile, Dr. Madan Rambarran, on behalf of the administration of the GPHC, expressed sadness at the death of Dr. Baeza added that during the years he had worked with the institution, the management and staff had all come to love him, recognizing his compassion and significant contribution to the profession here. Dr. Rambarran recalled that during Dr. Baeza’s stint as head of the Orthopedic Department, the Hospital had seen several developments, including the implementation of training programmes to better equip Orthopedic doctors and support staff. “For all these things we will miss him,” he asserted.

And Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy noted that Dr. Ricardo was truly a family member in the health sector. “As a family, we have lost one of our respected and loved ones,” he declared.

The remains of Dr. Ricardo Baeza Carrion, who died tragically in a car accident in the city on Old Year’s Night, was scheduled to be flown out of Guyana at midnight last night, for interment in his homeland. He is survived by his wife Tania, two daughters, mother Felicia (Suzie), and brothers.

The Dash

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth...
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
the cars....the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left.

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what's true and real,
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile...
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
with your life's actions to rehash...
would you be proud of the things they
say about how you spent your dash?

Scenes from the thanksgiving service for Dr. Ricardo Baeza Carrion




		Lining up in their hundreds to pay their last respects to Dr Ricardo



			The theatre nurses paying tribute to Dr Ricardo

Dr Dalgesh Joseph	Dr Dalgesh Joseph	Dr George Norton

	Dr Madan Rambarran	Dr Madan Rambarran	Minister of health Dr Leslie Ramsammy