Ally said, with the increased budget, health workers must work together, focused and goal oriented, as they seek to efficiently complete their undertakings and avoid bureaucratic inertia.

Under the theme ‘Strengthening Management of Primary Health Care Systems’, the two-day forum continues today at Regency Suites Hotel, Hadfield Street, Georgetown.

The aim is to evaluate the undertakings and challenges of the past year and plan for the upcoming one.

During yesterday, the focus was on buildings and infrastructure, recruitment and training, consumption of medical supplies, outreach activities and disaster management.

Ally said, too, that an accountability framework must be developed to ensure that sector operatives expend resources in an optimal manner, as they work towards promoting quality health care for all.

“There is a positive correlation between the health of a nation’s people and that of a nation’s economic growth,” he said, adding: “A nation’s health is its wealth.”

Ally pointed out that, in order to maintain this wealth, stakeholder participation is essential to the health care delivery.

“Without the key persons, stakeholders from all regions involved in these evaluations, will be having a kind of incestuous discussion that will take us nowhere,” he warned.

Minister within the Ministry of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran agreed and reiterated that stakeholder participation will be key to effectively utilising the resources available, not only financial but human, as well.

He remarked: “The Ministry of Health has been rolling out a massive training exercise that will see trained health professionals, new resources, in the nine disciplines, including the medex and dentex programmes.”

Ramsaran said, in a few months time, the sector will receive another boost when 70 final year medical students from Cuba, under the guidance of members from the Cuban Medical Brigade here, will graduate as medical doctors.

He posited that the integrated efforts of all stakeholders, in addition to evaluations to find a better way forward, will see general improvement in the sector.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud concurred that the conference is the ideal forum to conduct a review.

“At this conference, we are able to review carefully the goals, targets and objectives as well as the services we offer the Guyanese people.”

He said the review process will also facilitate movements that would result in workers taking steps to promote a more health conscious society.

“By reviewing and evaluating, we will be able to put together comprehensive packages which will feature innovative methods to do things that will benefit all,” Persaud asserted.