Guyana’s public health services have seen steady improvement in the last decade, coming from a state in which the entire sector was run down and on the verge of collapse. In that period of stagnation, most hospital buildings were atrocious, medical drugs were regularly short, there was an acute shortage of medical personnel and equipment, and there were hardly any new medical facilities being built.
Today, while it is true that the sector has not fully attained quality of service, undoubtedly there has been a remarkable transformation with scores of new facilities opened across the country, a dramatic improvement in the number of medical personnel and equipment, upgrading of existing institutions and services, and an unprecedented improvement in special health care facilities. As regards the latter, we have seen the establishment of a cardiology centre, which makes it possible for many heart surgeries to be done here, rather than abroad. In fact, only a few years ago, history was made when the first heart surgery was done and it was successful. In addition, we now boast a cancer institute and a state-of-the art ophthalmology centre at Port Mourant in Berbice. Linden, Lethem and New Amsterdam all now have state-of-the-art hospitals, while in several regions modern diagnostic centres have been established. The establishment of a dialysis centre is also on its way.
These striking developments have not happened by chance, but rather through a deliberate policy and programmes by the government aimed at continuously improving the quality of health care in Guyana, which was a promise made by the ruling party. And it has certainly delivered on that promise, as in every successive budget there is increasing funding for the health sector.
But there is even more good news for the sector, with the announcement by President Bharat Jagdeo on his return from India that at year-end, the construction of a US$18M specialty hospital will begin with the help of the Government of India. So,it is clear that the government is continuously exploring various avenues to maintain the momentum of improving and expanding the level of service to our people.
According to the President, surgery that Guyanese would normally travel to North America and other countries for will be done right here in Guyana, at a fraction of the cost.
Additionally, there is a large number of students currently pursuing studies in medicine, along with the training of nurses and Medex, all with the prevailing objective of improving the accessibility and quality of primary health care to Guyanese citizens.
“We have now settled on a partner in India and we have just approached the Indian government to say that we are ready for the line of credit. They will then go out to tender for an Indian company because it’s an Indian line of credit, and we will have this hospital run by specialists from India,” he informed.
This is certainly a major boost for the health sector which will further transform the landscape of the health sector and bring great relief to the people of this country, particularly to the poor sections of our population.
It is evident therefore that while there is a small group of gripers who are attempting to bloc progress and paint a picture that nothing positive is taking place, to the contrary, the train of progress continues to rumble along its tracks, at a steady pace.