– President Ali announces, discloses plans for more equitable healthcare services

IN a significant move to address the urgent healthcare needs of children in Guyana, President Dr. Irfaan Ali revealed plans for a comprehensive programme aimed at providing cardiac surgeries for more than 150 children.

The announcement was made during the commissioning of a state-of-the-art $474 million pathology lab on Sunday.
“We want to address the issue of zeroing the backlog of children who require cardiac intervention.”
According to President Ali, the government has partnered with international partners to conduct these surgeries.

“Last year, we did 18 of these surgeries with our partners. I am pleased to tell you that we are in advanced stage of planning to have 150 plus children on the backlog on a programme that we hope, in the next 18 months, [will allow all of them to get] their surgery,” he said.

“Zeroing the backlog will put us in a position whereby we will be in real-time and current with children at the end of this year,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Head of State disclosed plans to establish a benchmark for services offered in the healthcare system.

“We want the private healthcare system to improve, also, we want to establish a benchmark of services that every citizen must get …and we are going to establish a benchmark costing mechanism and we are going to give patients the option of utilising the services at Georgetown hospital or any hospital based on those benchmarks so that there will be equity of service.”

It was previously reported that, through private institutions and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), the number of cardiac surgeries being performed in Guyana has increased tremendously, with more than 250 interventional treatments being offered.

In 2023, pediatric cardiac surgery was established as a regular programme at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), with some 12 children benefitting from open heart surgery.

President Ali’s announcement reflects the government’s proactive approach to addressing critical healthcare needs and ensuring equitable access to life-saving interventions for children across Guyana.