HEALTH CARE IS FALLING APART

Mar 27, 2017 Editorial

The public hospitals in Guyana are in total chaos and the Ministry of Health, and by extension the government, has fallen down on the job to provide proper and adequate health care to the people.
The present health care system is not only backward, it is in complete disarray. It seems that the changing of Ministers has actually made the health care system worse. The situation is dreadful and if the government believes that replacing one minister with another will solve the problems, it had better think again.
It is time for the government to come to grips with the situation and appoint professionals from within the country and from the Diaspora to manage and improve the health care system. The public hospitals are in very poor shape, and they are poorly managed from the top to the bottom. It appears that the current Minister of Health has not learnt from the mistakes of her predecessor, who had been demoted over the sole sourcing of Sussex Street drug bond to Linden Holdings.
As reported, the Minister of Health is now embroiled in the sole sourcing of $605 million worth of drugs. Not only did the Minister bypass the procurement process, but the excuses provided reveal that something is awry.
Lest we forget, this government, when in opposition, criticized the last administration for sole sourcing medical supplies to New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation which is owned by a best friend of former President Jagdeo.
In spite of the billions allocated for medicines and medical supplies in the 2017 budget, there are still shortages of drugs in the public health sector.
In fact, the availability of medicines and medical supplies at the public hospitals has worsened with each passing day under this government. Even with the new minister, reports from the hospitals, especially the Georgetown Public Hospital, reveal a worsening situation.
The fact that every public hospital and public health centre is forced to cope with daily shortages of medicines, vaccines and medical supplies, is not only embarrassing, but is also terrifying for the public.
But after spending nearly $100 million of the taxpayers’ money on the purchase, renovation and rental of the Sussex Street drug bond warehouse, the Minister of Health has hinted that the bond will be closed. This was the same drug bond which the former Minister of Health George Norton had claimed was urgently needed to store drugs.
The disappointing pass rate at the recent nurses’ exams has proffered several explanations from the Ministry of Health for the failure of the vast majority of students. However, the public is none the wiser in the wake of the allegations and counter allegations, while the student nurses who have spent months studying for the exams are the victims and the losers.
There were several other instances of what appeared to be mismanagement at the Health Ministry. An audit report conducted at the drug bonds at Kingston and at Diamond in August 2016 unearthed several discrepancies.
Among other things, it found that billions of dollars in pharmaceuticals were poorly managed at both locations due to untrained and unqualified personnel. It also found that internal controls were seriously lacking at both facilities, which had expired products.
After 20 months of APNU+AFC governance, the status of the public health care system has gotten worse, thus bringing the nation back to those terrible days of the 1980s.
Taken together, it should be clear to all and sundry that there is poor governance in Guyana. And it permeates all departments.

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