THE gap between coastal and hinterland communities in terms of education and health care delivery is narrowing, and even though significant gaps still remain, there can be no doubt that Amerindian and hinterland communities, today, benefit from an enhanced quality of life.

This current gap is the result of decades of neglect, both under colonial rule and the previous PNC administration. It was not until the PPP/C administration was returned to power on October 5, 1992, that the tide of underdevelopment began to incrementally change and Amerindians became more integrally involved in the process of national development.

President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has now taken that development to an even higher level with the recent commissioning of the Mabaruma ‘Smart’ Hospital. According to President Ali, more than $125 billion will be invested in upgrading hinterland health facilities; Region One alone will benefit from almost US$20 million over the next three years. These are indeed significant financial injections to upgrade the physical infrastructure of health facilities in hinterland regions.

Infrastructural overhaul is just one component in the development matrix. Only recently, President Ali announced hefty increases in a wide range of salary scales in the health sector, over and above those already given to public sector employees. In addition, there will also be the provision of all basic health equipment. Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, has been tasked with the preparation of a comprehensive list of equipment for all facilities “to take them to a stage where there is capacity to deliver the best possible service.”

This is indeed good news for hinterland residents, many of whom are required to travel to the main referral hospital in Georgetown, the GPHC, for emergency or specialised treatment. This is not only time-consuming, but it is also logistically problematic and would often entail medical evacuations by way of light aircraft.

Thanks to significant advances in medical technologies, it is now possible to perform complex and intricate operations virtually. The PPP/C administration is committed to positioning the health sector to take advantage of cutting-edge medical technologies and the commissioning of the Maburama ‘Smart’ Hospital is another step in that regard.

There are those “pessimists” in our society, who continue to spread a narrative of hinterland communities not getting a fair share of the country’s oil revenues. This view, however, has been debunked by President Ali, when he reiterated that the revenue from oil and gas will be used “to give our population the best possible health and education services. Regardless of where you live, you must have access to quality education and quality healthcare; this is our commitment to the people of Guyana,” the President said.

These are not empty words. Already, there are significant improvements in longevity rates among Amerindians, who are now among the fastest-growing segment of the population. The same can be said for education-attainment levels among hinterland students, who are showing consistent improvements thanks to the several interventions made by the PPP/C administration in critical areas of education delivery, including teacher training, supply of learning-resource materials and by no means least, school-feeding programmes and cash grants to parents of school-children.

All of these developments fit into a much broader developmental framework based on a people-oriented model of development embraced by President Ali and the PPP/C administration. And all of this despite the negativity and the anti-developmental posture of the political opposition, which seemingly is more concerned with fabricating all manner of lies and distortions, especially on the issue of race, religion and politics.

One gets the impression that the opposition has run out of any issue of substance with which to attack the PPP/C administration and is now resorting to unsubstantiated but culturally sensitive issues of race and religion to sow seeds of discord in the society.

President Ali and the PPP/C administration have, however,  remained focused and undeterred in the realisation of its electoral mandate, which is to create a society in which all Guyanese, regardless of race, religion or ethnicity, benefit in equal measure from the prosperity that is being generated by the sound economic and social policies of the administration. Guyana, from all indications, is threading in the direction of “One Guyana,” as envisioned by President Ali.