–President Ali says, emphasises plans to advance local health sector
OWING to critical investments in the health sector, Guyana has seen a significant reduction in child and maternal mortalities, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has said.

The Head of State made that disclosure on the eve of Guyana’s 58th Independence Anniversary on Saturday, while addressing a mammoth gathering at the Mackenzie Stadium, Linden, Region 10.
With the aim of improving the population’s life expectancy rate, investments are being made to modernise the healthcare system, advance public health education and collaborate with partners to develop a healthcare system that is second to none.

“The investment we are making has also seen a reduction in child mortality. Child mortality is now 13 per every 1,000 births, when as compared to 19 in 2019.”
He added: “This is testimony; this is qualitative analysis and qualitative examples of how the policies and expenditure of the government are working to make the lives of Guyanese better.”

The Head of State further revealed that maternal mortality is at the lowest it has ever been in the history of the country.
“It is now 96 per 10,000 deliveries. [That is] 96 per 10,000 compared to 170 per 10,000 in 2017,” Dr Ali said.
The government is placing specific emphasis on further decreasing those numbers and improving the level of care with the construction of the Guyana Paediatric and Maternal Hospital, at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.

In 2021, it was reported that the government was examining a maternal and children’s hospital that would offer specialised care to Guyanese.
Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, had disclosed that talks were underway with bilateral partners to construct the facility.
In 2022, the sod for a EUR$149 million (GUY$31.9 billion) Paediatric and Maternal Hospital was turned.

The facility will have 256 beds, will cover 24,000 square metres gross floor area and will have an imaging suite which will include CT scans, X rays, and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning equipment.
The hospital will also have a modern laboratory which will focus on conducting sophisticated testing.

The hospital is being built by VAMED Engineering, which was appointed by the Government of Austria. Headquartered in Austria, VAMED Engineering is a global provider for hospitals and healthcare facilities.
The company has implemented more than 1,000 projects across the globe, operating in 100 countries on five continents. They have provided high-end services for more than 820 health facilities.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, they have done projects in Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia and Haiti. The hospital in Guyana is expected to take two years to be completed.
The new facility is expected to not only serve Region Four but will be a Level Five referral centre for women and children of all regions in Guyana, who are referred for specialised healthcare not available in their region.

The three patient care groups that will be referred to the hospital will be maternal mothers, neonatal care and paediatrics.
Currently, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is Guyana’s only referral hospital.