THE universal healthcare voucher aims to empower individuals to take control of their health, according to the many citizens who have welcomed the initiative. The Government of Guyana (GoG) officially launched the programme on Saturday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

This initiative provides every Guyanese with a $10,000 universal healthcare voucher. Additionally, the eye testing and spectacles programme, which continues this year, is designed to assist citizens by offering eye tests, screenings, and support for obtaining spectacles if needed. The Sunday Chronicle spoke to numerous citizens who underscored the importance of the initiative and highlighted the other programmes they have benefitted from.

Philip Bourne, an elderly man, said: “I feel good about receiving help to assist me with my health problems.” Bourne mentioned that he also benefitted from the eye testing and spectacles programme. He commended the administration for its efforts to bolster the healthcare sector and even mentioned that he was looking forward to other programmes.

Additionally, Wendy Johnson, while expressing happiness, said that she cannot wait to use her voucher. “As a citizen, I feel very happy and excited to have collected my voucher and I know that it will benefit me and all the persons who would have collected this voucher,” she told the Sunday Chronicle.

Odessa Debarros expressed similar sentiments. She highlighted the strides that the government has been making in the health sector.

“For me, in the health sector, health has been doing a good job, yes, I know there is a bit of room for improvement but in all of it, they have been doing a good job,” she said.

Dawn Pearson, a student at the Health Science Division at the Kingston Annex, underscored the importance of this voucher when it comes to monitoring one’s health and early detection of certain diseases.

She said: “It’s a great initiative by the government; it would help us to check up on our health… so whatever the result is, we are preventing diseases from happening.”

Clinton Softleigh-Jr said that apart from the financial relief, the voucher will teach the importance of monitoring one’s well-being.
“There’s a lot of people that are going to be reached, there’s a lot of impact that is going to be made. People are going to start taking into consideration how important your health is and how to cherish it,” he stated, adding, “You don’t have to wait for something to happen to take your health seriously. You can actually take initiative.”

The Universal Healthcare Voucher caters for a number of tests that are essential in managing one’s health. The general screening blood tests include: hemoglobin (hb), lipid profile, liver function, kidney function, urinalysis and thyroid function tests, to name a few.