–President Ali affirms; highlights steps taken to empower Guyanese, enhance their lives

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali has said that investments in quality healthcare and education for citizens are crucial for economic growth and prosperity.

He was at the time speaking at the sod-turning ceremony for the $6.6 billion regional hospital at Plantation Bath, West Coast Berbice, on Tuesday.

In his speech, he highlighted the correlation between investments in health and advancement in education.

“To address healthcare, we first have to address education, because a lot of the primary healthcare revolves around the life choices we make. And those life choices must come through a system of education that allows us to understand the impact and implication of the choices we make in life.

“So, our investment in this country is a full understanding of the infrastructure landscape that is required to provide a supportive mechanism to foster holistic national development,” he said.

The President related that outside of the physical-infrastructure landscape, there is what is termed “human capital.”

He said that investing in good healthcare leads to longer life, which leads to longer pension periods which the economy must support.

To further explain his point, Dr Ali compared this to the history of the country, where life expectancy was below the old-age pension age. Today, Guyana is surpassing the old-age pension age due to improvements in lifestyles and healthcare.

He then announced that the Bath Hospital is part of a larger project in Guyana comprising six different hospitals, with a complete investment of more than $40 billion.
Bath Hospital, he said, is an investment of about $6.6 billion, which means that every resident and prospective resident in Region Five will be investing $132,000 on their behalf, individually.

President Ali said that the investment would benefit every single resident and prospective resident in the region, as well as increase their net-asset value.

He added that the infrastructural improvements would redound to the net value of the family and individual, resulting in a better market value for their properties.

“We have spent on roads alone more than $18 billion since we came into office in 2020. That is almost $300,000 for every single resident living in this area,” President Ali said.

He also highlighted the government’s goal of making Region Five a regional food hub, with over $7.5 billion invested in agriculture, capital, and recurrent expenditure.

Additionally, the government has invested in education, providing almost $50 million in textbooks for 28 schools and ensuring that children have access to breakfast programmes.

“In these 28 schools that we have the breakfast programme, we have spent almost $84 million,” President Ali said.

The President also highlighted the government’s commitment to social programmes, including old-age pension, water subsidies, public assistance, and COVID-19 cash grants.

Dr Ali, however, highlighted Guyana’s need to advance its technology to compete with other countries in the global market.

“…We don’t have the luxury of a large population, neither do we have the luxury of the type of human assets, like China, for example. They can deploy human assets and technology together to build a hospital in 10 days or five days. That is why we are trying to advance our technology to give us that competitive edge.

“We have to be able to build a system on the highest form of technological platform to support the growth and development and advancement that we want to achieve,” the Head of State said,

The President also expressed his satisfaction with the progress made by the technical team in deploying advanced technology to deliver various projects in the country.

He also referenced the importance of delivering projects in a timely and efficient manner, noting that the government is keen on ensuring that people enjoy the benefits of new facilities ahead of schedule.

Dr Ali expressed confidence in the ability of the technical team to deploy technology to achieve this goal.

“This is key for us because we want the people to enjoy the benefits of the facilities in advance of time,” he said.

The President’s remarks come at a time when the government is seeking to attract foreign investment and bolster its economy.

The government has been actively pursuing various infrastructural projects, including the construction of a new airport and seaport, as well as development of the country’s oil-and-gas sector.

The deployment of advanced technology to deliver these projects ahead of schedule is seen as a key factor in attracting investment and boosting the country’s economic prospects.