– Health Minister announces
–Jobs guaranteed after training

RECOGNISING that Guyana’s health sector is rapidly advancing with the construction of new hospitals and the procurement of state-of-the-art equipment, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is set to roll out, within a month’s time, a registered nursing programme, aimed at training 3,000 persons in three years.

This was announced by Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, on Saturday at the opening ceremony of the Lusignan Diabetes Comprehensive Centre on the East Coast of Demerara.

“In about a month’s time, we are going to open up to the general public and qualified persons…We are opening up a call for persons who are interested in doing the registered nursing programme. We want to start a programme with 1,000 persons this year,” the health minister said.

The current registered nursing programme could only accommodate a limited number of people but now it would be expanded to take in 1,000 people on an annual basis.

“We [want to] take in 1,000 people this year, next year we [want to] take another thousand and the year after another…so, over a three-year period, we are hoping to attract 3,000 persons to come in and do nursing with us,” Dr Anthony related.

He noted that the enrollment process will be faciliated online and assured persons that after the successful completion of the programme, they are guaranteed a job with the ministry.

Persons interested in the programme are required to have a minimum of five Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects, including Mathematics and English.

The Government of Guyana has been actively working to improve and modernise Guyana’s healthcare system allocating $84.9 billion in the 2023 budget to ensure there is rapid infrastructural development, as well as better access to primary healthcare.

A total of seven regional hospitals are in the process of being constructed, which, according to Minister Anthony, will consist of an Accident and Emergency department that would operate on a 24-hour basis, new laboratory facilities, imaging facilities with a CT scanner as well as three operating theatres and 75-bed inpatient facilities.

The China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation, a Chinese state-owned enterprise commonly referred to as Sinopharm, was selected to construct six of the new regional hospitals in Guyana.

They will be built at Anna Regina, Region Two; De Kinderen (Tuschen was originally planned), Region Three; Diamond and Enmore, Region Four; Bath, Region Five; and Skeldon, Region Six.
Additionally, the health minister in January 2023, said that hinterland health facilities are expected to undergo major upgrades this year.

“Lethem for example would have a major upgrade [and] Mabaruma, Moruca. You would see us upgrading the hospital at Kamarang, Kato…Mahdia, we would also be improving that hospital,” he said.

Some $1 billion has been earmarked in Budget 2023 to advance this initiative.

In addition, the Karasabai, Annai, and Sand Creek health centres will be upgraded into district hospitals providing radiology and laboratory services to residents.

Another $237 million has been set aside to upgrade those facilities.

Telemedicine centres will also be constructed in Regions One, Seven, Eight, and Nine to provide real-time, remote diagnosis and treatment in remote Amerindian communities by using technology.