– combined Opposition votes against funding Specialty Hospital

THE combined Opposition yesterday signalled that they are against specialised health care for Guyanese through their disapproval of funding for the much anticipated Specialty Hospital. The Opposition voted against the $910 million which was allocated for the project in the 2014 National Budget.In so doing, the Opposition in reality voted against funding for the provision of other regional and clinical services. This will affect the Ministry of Health, buildings, doctors’ quarters, land and water transport, furniture and other medical equipment.
The Specialty Hospital project falls under the Ministry’s Capital Expenditure, under which a number of other projects are stated and as such those developmental projects suffered the same fate.
However, Speaker of the House Raphael Trotman explained that the votes were only proposals and when members sit in plenary, a final decision will be made on the sums.
On Wednesday, the Speaker announced that the Opposition can only propose amendments after which it would be up to the government to accept or reject the proposals.
Meanwhile, the proposals will be examined in a sub-committee that the Speaker suggested be established to consider the proposed amendments to the Budget. That committee comprises four members from the Opposition and three from the government.
Further APNU’s Chief Whip, Ms. Amna Ally had indicated her party’s approval for the other projects which fall under capital expenditure except the Specialty Hospital, but the Speaker of the House informed Ms. Ally that the Specialty Hospital Project could not be separated.
However, the Current and Capital expenditure for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) have been approved.
Health Minister Dr. Bheri Ramsaran and Chief Executive Officer of the GPHC, Michael Khan were grilled by the Opposition about money set aside for training and infrastructural upgrade. The Health Minister and his team did not fail to provide the House with the relevant answers.
The GPHC was allotted $5.3B while the Ministry of Health – Administration received a total of $850M.
Most of the questions directed to the minister were related to the procurement of drugs, equipment and transportation services – ambulance.
The sum of $21.5 billion has been allocated for the Health Sector in the 2014 budget. Of this amount $2.4 billion is budgeted for construction and upgrade of health care facilities countrywide including the Port Kaituma District Hospital, Linden Hospital Complex, Kwakwani Hospital, the acute care facility at the National Psychiatric Hospital, and the Georgetown School of Nursing.
Some $382.7 million is allocated for the purchase of medical equipment and $117 million is allocated for the purchase of 12 ambulances which represents a 40 percent increase in the national fleet. In relation to primary and specialised health training, over $428 million has been allocated to train 20 additional post graduate residents and upgrade over 4000 providers.
In keeping with Government’s focus on maternal and child health, Government will continue to prioritise resource mobilisation for improving maternal health and efforts will be made to accelerate the achievement of this goal in collaboration with our developmental partners.
In 2014, the sum of $50 million is allocated to commence the extension of the maternity facility at the GPHC to ensure increased bed capacity, while $22.6 million is allocated for the establishment of maternity waiting homes in Lethem and Bartica to cater for antenatal high-risk mothers.

(GINA)