– to provide health care at highest possible level
JUST hours after his return to Guyana after a one-week trip to India, President Bharrat Jagdeo, hosted a press briefing at State House where he announced that construction of the much talked about specialty hospital will commence by the end of the year and, within a maximum of two years, any surgery that Guyanese would normally travel to North America and other countries for, will be done right here in Guyana, at a fraction of the cost. Government has been making significant efforts to improve primary health care in Guyana by investing heavily in the sector.
“We have expanded the coverage and the quality of primary health care, we have built several new institutions over the past three to four years with most of them funded directly from the budget,” the Guyanese Head-of-State said. He was referring to the four diagnostic and treatment centres at Leonora, Suddie, Diamond and Mahaicony, the Ophthalmology Hospital in Port Mourant, and the Modern Linden Hospital, among others.

QUOTE: When completed, the hospital will be providing services including cardio-related and cosmetic surgeries, and organ transplant… and any surgery that Guyanese would normally travel to North America and other countries for, will be done right here in Guyana, at a fraction of the cost.

Additionally, there is a large number of students currently pursuing studies in medicine, along with the training of nurses and medex, all with the prevailing objective of improving the accessibility and quality of primary health care to Guyanese citizens.
Referring to his speech at the recent commissioning of the Dazzel housing scheme, where he mentioned that he was going to seek specialty health sector support, the President said that the aim is to be able to reach out to patients within communities, so that they no longer have to go through the inconvenience of having to visit clinics and health posts.
He asserted that notwithstanding the remarkable progress that has been made, there still remains a gap in terms of the country’s capacity to provide good quality tertiary health care.
In an effort to bridge this gap, government has sought to partner with various health institutions such as the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI), and a special group whose members are now operating at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to carry out some elementary form of cancer treatment. Steps are now being made to provide services for patients who need dialysis.
However, the President said that, “this is not enough, although we assist patients who go abroad by giving them US$5000, sometimes the cost of surgery is way beyond their means…so clearly we have a big gap here and we intend to fill it.”
The Indian government was approached sometime ago where it was agreed that a line of credit will be used for the construction of the specialty hospital and Guyana would choose a partner from India to manage the facility.
“We have now settled on a partner in India and we have just approached the Indian government to say that we are ready for the line of credit. They will then go out to tender for an Indian company because it’s an Indian line of credit and we will have this hospital run by specialists from India,” he informed.
Responding to a question with regards to the location of the US$18M facility, the Head-of-State said government is exploring several options including one possible location in the vicinity of Turkeyen.
President Jagdeo further explained that the rates will be negotiated by the Government of Guyana and the new management of the hospital for the provision of “health care at the highest possible level.”
India has, over the years, established itself as one of the pioneers in health care as many persons from even developed countries such as North America travel to the Asian State through medical tourism because of the competitive nature of such services there.
When completed, the hospital will be providing services including cardio-related and cosmetic surgeries, and organ transplant.
He expressed optimism at the possibility of having patients coming from the region, the Diaspora and Northern Brazil, once the service is of an exceptionally high standard.
Additionally, the President’s visit saw several engagements with the Indian business community in an effort to stimulate its interest in investing in Guyana, particularly in the areas of mining and agriculture. (GINA)