–with launch of ‘universal healthcare vouchers’

CITIZENS throughout Guyana are witnessing a transformation of the healthcare sector into a world-class system, with the recent launch of the universal healthcare voucher on Saturday, marking a significant step toward realising this ambitious vision.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali officially launched the initiative at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), where he addressed citizens of all ages from across the country on the development taking place in Guyana, especially in the health sector.

“We are not only going to build a world-class healthcare system but we are going to deliver world-class healthcare services to every citizen of this country,” the President told the large gathering.
The Universal Healthcare Voucher caters for a number of tests that are essential in managing one’s health; it offers a GY$10,000 universal healthcare voucher to every Guyanese. The general screening blood tests include: haemoglobin (hb), lipid profile, liver function, kidney function, urinalysis and thyroid function tests, to name a few.

Additionally, citizens can get a 40 to 70 per cent discount from the initial costs of medical tests offered at hospitals and laboratories through a government partnership with more than 30 local facilities, including private labs and hospitals.

And for the hinterland communities, specific programmes are being worked out to ensure citizens receive their vouchers. A sum of $5 billion was invested in the initiative, which forms part of the government’s effort to achieve universal healthcare.

The President further noted: “The voucher that you see here and the prices on the voucher, there’s an added benefit, all of these prices would have in it, inherently a 40-70 per cent discount from what they were originally at the private labs and hospitals.”

Guyana’s health sector, since the government took office in 2020, has seen an upward trajectory.
As Dr. Ali emphasised, the government has bolstered its partnerships with international allies to further improve healthcare in Guyana. These partnerships didn’t develop overnight; rather, as he noted, they are the result of a strategic foreign policy and a government focused on hard work and delivering results.

“Our health foreign policy has brought tremendous goodwill and results for our country and we must applaud that,” the Head of State said.
Further, the President announced that because of the collaboration with one of the country’s international partners and the Men on Mission (MoM), there will soon be a nationwide prostate screening programme, aimed at reaching thousands of men.

This initiative will prioritise early detection and awareness. Already, the government has spent some time with Northwell Health on mapping a strategy for three prominent cancers- prostate, breast and colon.
The President said that they are planning to map an early detection strategy towards national screening and treatment.

“Not only are we building these partnerships but we are investing in the equipment and technology and the tools for treatment,” President Ali stated.
Notably, the President commended the private healthcare sector for improving its services to better serve the people. These positive results will support the government’s building out of the public healthcare sector and, according to the President, this will aid in ensuring that the healthcare ecosystem can work seamlessly. Notably, the eye testing and spectacles programme, which continues this year, was launched in June 2024 by the Ministry of Health, and is aimed at supporting Guyanese citizens by providing eye tests, screenings, and assistance with spectacles, if necessary.

Similarly, the cervical cancer screening programme was also launched in June 2024, and is set to continue this year, a move that was part of a comprehensive plan for the elimination of cervical cancer.

EARLY DETECTION
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, in his remarks, underscored the benefits of the healthcare voucher, especially for early detection. He reiterated that the government has been working to ensure that there are healthier children in the classroom.

“We also took the opportunity in this initiative to ensure we focus on our children and this is also complimenting a programme that we introduced about a year and a half ago, where we had started a school health programme -going into the schools, screening every child to ensure they’re healthy,” the Health Minister said.

Other leading health conditions are also being tackled by the ministry, Dr. Anthony highlighted. For instance, the ministry has been working with Mount Sinai to develop diabetes guidelines and a programme to tackle cardiovascular diseases.