By Ravin Singh

REGION Four (Demerara-Mahaica) is poised for massive development in this Golden Year of Jubilee, after a whopping sum of $5.5B was cleared last evening in the House by the Committee of Supply.In the 2015 Budget, $4B was approved for the region by the Committee, which increases this year’s allocation by 37.5 per cent.

Massive increases from last year were recorded in the current expenditure for both education delivery and health services in the region. There was an increase from $226M in 2015 to $586M in 2016 for drugs and medical supplies; and an increase from $236M to $598M for materials, equipment and supplies, also falling within the health bracket.
When quizzed by opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Neil Kumar on the reason for this increase, and what was different about Region Four as compared to the other regions, which received less, Minister Bulkan defended the allocation by arguing that Guyana’s highly centralised nature demands more for Region Four.

Just recently, a drug shortage had confronted Guyana’s public health sector due to insufficient funds at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). This was reportedly coupled with the incapability of the 10 administrative regions to buy their own supplies after the 2015 National Budget was passed in August last year.
GPHC’s Chief Executive Officer Allan Johnson had related that cash-flow problems at that health care institution had resulted in the shortage.

“We also purchase a lot of our drugs with short shelf life. Indeed, because we purchase our drugs from New GPC (Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation), we store our drugs at New GPC also, because we don’t have any storehouse,” the CEO said.

But with this significant increase for drug and medical supplies, it is expected that no such event would recur.

And in addition to the increases for health services, $114M has been allocated for the enhancement of security services in the region. $56M was allocated for this in 2015.

Meanwhile, the minister also revealed during his fielding of questions last evening that a new health centre will be erected in Eccles this year. “A health centre will be erected in Eccles, and this was budgeted for…. I think this will be located in ‘BB’ Eccles,” the minister said.

Lumped with two other projects footing a total cost of $37.5M, the health centre is expected to be built at a cost of $31.5M. Of the remaining funds, the Dr. C.C Nicholson Hospital will be rehabilitated and a sanitary block will be constructed at the Kuru Kururu health centre.

Under current expenditure for 2016, the sum of $173M was allocated for Regional Administration and Finance; $280M was allocated to Agriculture; $117M was allocated for Public works; $3.3B was approved for education delivery; and $1.1B was allocated for the improvement of Health Services.

Under capital expenditure for the region, $24M was allocated for Regional Administration and Finance, $45M was allocated for Agriculture, $61M was allocated for Public Works, $285M was allocated for education delivery, and $62.9M was allocated for health services.

As such, the total expenditure as compared to last year is as follows: $197M for Regional Administration and Finance in 2016, as compared to $159 in 2015; $325M for Agriculture in 2016, as compared to $268 in 2015; $178M for public works, as compared to $156M in 2015; $3.6B for education delivery as compared to $2.8B in 2015; and $1.1B for health services, as compared to $571M in 2015.