Op-Ed: Health and wealth are companions

-but the greatest assets of a nation are healthy citizens

By Margaret Burke

BETTER healthcare services from coastland to hinterland for all Guyanese have been a major concern of the APNU+AFC coalition even before taking up the reign of office in 2015. Evidence is there to show, time and time again, even while in opposition, how cases were presented and fought at the highest level on behalf of the people.

But even as the coalition was seriously fighting for the cause of the people, they were also busy making plans for the future. This government promised to provide an inclusionary healthcare service and they have stuck to their promise. In the course of action, they committed to expand and/or improve every hospital and medical centre within Guyana, with no distance being too much for them to reach.

Additionally, the government is making sure that money invested is being put into new equipment, expanded facilities and an increased emphasis on improving women’s health; quite unlike the previous administration when billions of dollars were wasted on bureaucracy and shady deals that did not deliver for the Guyanese people.

Additionally, there was the lack of access to specialist medical treatments as hospitals and clinics, especially those in rural communities and hinterland, were allowed to decline. At the same time, there were shortages of life-saving drugs, while disease prevention, nutrition and maternity survival, especially in the urban, rural and hinterland areas, were neglected. All these occurred even as malaria reached endemic levels in some regions.

In 2013, towards the end of the PPP’s time in power, the number of doctors and nurses dropped to 9.5 and 15.3 per 10,000 respectively. This was happening at a time when Guyana had unacceptably high rates of maternal mortality. A report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that maternal mortality rates for the period 1990 to 2013 rose from 210 deaths in 1990 to 250 deaths in 2013. Cervical cancer was at an all-time high, 46.9 per 100,000.

Impressive record
However, since 2016, the coalition has provided funding of $91.5B to ensure all Guyanese have access to good quality healthcare, with a further $35.9B allocated for 2019. Simultaneously, the government deployed increased numbers of medical personnel across the administrative regions. This has now resulted in over 13 doctors and 36 nurses per 10,000 of the population. In relation to a new drug procurement system that was introduced, it is anticipated that there will be increased stock rates from 65 per cent to 95 per cent to stop shortages. Even as this continues, there are now greater financial and technical support for preventable diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

Also, during this same four years, there has been an increased availability of retroviral treatments for HIV and as a result, infection rates remain stable at 1.7 per cent of the population. Malaria cases have reduced from 17,599 reported cases [in] 2014 to 11,000 cases in 2018. Vaccination against Tuberculosis increased from 90 per cent in 2015 to 98 per cent in 2018. This has led to a fall in rates of tuberculosis from 93 to 86 per 100,000 from 2015 to 2017. Moreover, vaccination coverage has increased to 90 per cent as a result of efforts to tackle Diphtheria, Whooping Cough, Tetanus, and Polio.
Reports from all of the main government hospitals in Guyana are now showing a reduction in infant and neonatal (newborn) mortality rates. At the same time, there has been a 50 per cent reduction in maternal death. Generally, maternity care has expanded in Georgetown, Leonara, Port Mourant, and New Amsterdam, among others.

Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
Up to the current time (in 2019 alone) there were 22 new medical facilities commissioned. Added to these are greater specialist qualifications now available including Radiology, Paediatrics, Neo-Natal, Anesthesia, Gynaecology, and Cardiac Intensive Care. Then there was the passage of the Tobacco Control Act in Guyana. New water ambulances were commissioned in Bartica and Linden, while there were increased dental clinics made available for the people of Guyana. There was also the establishment of the National Mental Health Unit; the opening of the first public health cardiac intensive care unit in Guyana; upgrading of the physical infrastructure of hospitals and health clinics.

Generally, there has been an increased access to public health services for young people, especially teenagers. Coupled with this, a more robust system was put in place to ensure health personnel and facilities reach every community in Guyana. There is now deployment of medical personnel across the regions, with mass campaigns to prevent filaria and cervical cancer launched. In case of the latter, a national programme to immunise children against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) was also launched.

Medical outreaches are now designed to bring health care directly to citizens. Vaccination coverage is now above 90 per cent, while there has also been the introduction of a new drug procurement system. The Cuban Medical Brigade also worked hard to help save 7,462 lives and provided 436,269 consultations in 2018 alone. Guyanese deserve “the good life” and at this particular time when they are hoping to experience the manifestation of that ‘liquid gold’ – oil and gas– they should get nothing less. Good health could be an assurance of a good life.

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