The commissioning of the state of the art National Ophthalmology Hospital at Port Mourant, Berbice is a huge boost and marks another significant milestone for the national health care system in Guyana. And Guyana has to be ever grateful to the Cuban government and people whose tangible assistance have made this health facility and other diagnostic centres become a reality. This assistance has resulted in a marked improvement in the delivery of health care through out Guyana.

It is estimated that some 10,000 eye surgeries would be done annually at the facility but more importantly that they will be free of cost which means the poorer sections of the society will now be able to access very specialised medical treatment which would have been out of their reach if they had to pay for it. And so yet another nail in the coffin of the “nay sayers” who continue to turn a ‘blind eye’ no pun intended to the progress we are making. Ironically their eyes may have to undergo surgery at this very facility because of their myopia.

It is useful to recall that Cuba has been providing help to Guyana since the turbulent days of the 1960s when they supplied us with vitally needed fuel which was in short supply during the internal strife created by local reactionaries in collaboration with their foreign masters.

Cuba itself has one of the best health care systems in the world and despite the over four-decade old economic embargo Cuba has surpassed all the health targets and standards set by the WHO.

Guyana’s health care delivery in recent years has grown leaps and bounds with tremendous improvements in all aspects of health care in both quantitative and qualitative terms. This new facility is another addition to specialised health care on top of heart surgery, kidney transplant and chemotherapy facilities all recent boosts to the health care system.

This is not to say, that our health care system is perfect. Indeed we still have a far way to go before we reach the desired level of service, but at the least we have departed from those days when there was a severe shortage of medicines, equipment, doctors, technicians, health centres, hospitals and two patients sharing one bed. With respect to those hospitals that were in existence at that time most were in a run down or dilapidated state with many being rat infested etc.

The improvement in our health care system has not come about by accident, but on the contrary has done so because of a deep and unswerving sense of commitment by this current PPP led government and its predecessors to improve the lot of the people.

During the period of 1957-1964, under the stewardship of the late former President, Mrs. Janet Jagan health care received a big boost, particularly for those rural and hinterland communities, through the establishment of Cottage Hospitals and Health Centres across Guyana. It is important for our young people of today to know this because of the attempts by many serpent-like elements who are attempting to rewrite and distort the history of the PPP as regards to its contribution to the political struggle and national development of this country. Some of them even attempt to use “big coats” to cover up the truth. But it is worthwhile to note that the history of this country has been rife with such individuals and more importantly they all ended up in the garbage bin of history.

Undeniably, our health care delivery is on a solid and sound foundation and we need to continue working relentlessly and tirelessly to consolidate the gains achieved and move aggressively to improve and expand both the quantity and quality of service being provided.

This new ophthalmology facility also is a further demonstration of how South-South cooperation could bring tremendous benefits to the people of the developing world and therefore we must continue to explore the South-South path in our thrust to improve living conditions of our people amid the reluctance of the hesitancy of the rich nations to provide the kind of assistance necessary to get poor countries out of the rut they find themselves.