Karen Cummings says Budget 2014 filled with ‘ironies’ and ‘eye-water’

A PARTNERSHIP for National Unity’s (APNU) most recent addition to the National Assembly, Karen Cummings, delivered her maiden speech yesterday as she honed in on the health sector, lambasting the 2014 Budget as being filled with “ironies and eye water” as opposed to addressing real needs.
She said, “The APNU Party will not be easily led, flattered, bribed or terrified by such moves, but will analyse the budget 2014 rationally and carefully, and offer constructive criticisms and the necessary recommendations in order to move Guyana forward.
“…I staggered from what I saw and was bewildered by what I heard…I can only say that the Government’s budget 2014 is full of ironies and eye-water.
“The ironies Mr. Speaker, puts the country in a state of anxiety and the eye-water Mr. Speaker, exposes the Government’s callousness.”
According to her, the Government boasts of surpluses and savings, but leaves the masses and working poor in a state of dispossession and the jobless poor in bewilderment and hopelessness – evidence of the said ironies.
“Development is a many sided process, therefore, it does not only involve an increase in material wealth but must include the general welfare of the citizenry,” she stressed.
Cummings added that the evidence given indicated that “Government’s mathematics have gone south” of nation building.
She said, “Government’s leadership morality is sour to good governance, which embraces accountability, transparency, disclosure and redress.
“The government has not a single clue that the wealth of any nation is rooted in the health and well-being of its people….nation building appears to be calculated and measured on which ministry gets what and which supporter gets how much.
The health care sector, under the purview of the subject Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, is in need of “rescue and recovery”, according to Cummings, as she outlined several areas of shortcomings.
She said, “Nowhere in the 2014 budget is provision made for improvement in the socio-economic status of the healthcare provider.
“…there are no provisions that look at how to recruit more nurses, additional burden will be placed on the already drained and depleted nursing staff as a result of this expansion of service delivery.
“…neonatal mortality is still a critical issue.
“…the Budget 2014 has also not addressed the numerous cases of early childhood and teenage sex molestation which health care workers are asked to examine weekly or monthly, especially those who have teenage children.
“…adequate provision was not made for the young doctors; as they are being deployed and being made to work and function at facilities and health centres which promote a breach of patient privacy and confidentiality as working space is inadequate and supportive supervision is not encouraged.”
Cummings also called for the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) to address the concerns regarding the government’s sourcing of supplies from the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (New GPC).
The APNU MP added that Budget 2014 seeks to have the Opposition “embrace the achievement of financial goals, by clandestinely forbidding and disallowing the Guyanese people” the opportunity to identity what she dubbed “wasteful” expenditures.