GUYANA is experiencing its best moments from a developmental perspective. Never before in our history has there been so many infrastructural works going on in all facets of national development.
This multi-sectoral approach to development is in evidence in all the regions of Guyana. It is no exaggeration to say that the economic and social landscape is in the process of a structural “metamorphosis.”
Take the health sector as an example. New and modern hospitals are currently under construction in several regions of the country including the hinterland regions.
Topping the list of new hospitals is the construction of a new and state-of-the-art Paediatric and Maternal Care Hospital in Ogle, East Coast Demerara at a cost of some $4.12 billion or 57 million US dollars.
The hospital, when completed by the end of next year, will feature specialised services including a paediatric cardiac unit equipped to perform surgeries on children. This is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and is expected to have its first set of patients by early 2026.The 256-bed facility is intended to provide comprehensive healthcare services to both mothers and children.
The construction of this facility is taking place against the background of a decline in infant mortality rates and also a significant reduction in maternal deaths in Guyana.
The changing landscape of the health infrastructure is also evident in the proliferation of several hospitals that are owned and operated by private operatives, which is a further boost to the government’s efforts to upgrade access and quality of healthcare delivery to the Guyanese people.
President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has repeatedly emphasized the importance of quality healthcare to the Guyanese people. According to President Ali, Guyanese must have access to the best possible health care.
Towards this end, partnerships will be forged between other healthcare providers in and out of Guyana in order to benefit from best-practices in the sector. The President underscored the importance of technology and patient management system. The importance of private sector involvement in the transformation of the health care sector was also stressed.
The involvement of the private sector in the delivery of quality health care is a welcome development especially in the context of ongoing efforts by the PPP/C administration to make quality health care affordable and accessible to Guyanese in all the regions of Guyana.
One advantage of the opening up of the health sector to private operatives is that it provides for an element of choice in terms of access to medical care. It is no secret that access to medical treatment at some public institutions can be problematic. There are many who would rather pay their way out of situations which can be stressful.
This reality is no justification for any lack of professionalism on the part of health personnel in public institutions, some of whom can do with some more training in customer care.
The above notwithstanding, there can be no doubt that the quality of healthcare delivery has improved significantly over the past few years. The PPP/C administration has been investing heavily in the health sector, both in terms of infrastructure and human resource development.
