Guyanese deserve a world class health system

Aug 18, 2019 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

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Guyana’s public health system, in the past, had been plagued by inadequate infrastructure, high maternity mortality rates, weak disease prevention measures, poor emergency health response and constraints to access to health services, particularly for hinterland residents. However, under the APNU+AFC government, Guyana is finally moving in the right direction. In four short years, we have made significant progress in improving both the access and quality of healthcare for all Guyanese.
For 23 years, under the PPP administration, hospitals and clinics, especially those in the urban, rural and hinterland areas were neglected. Guyana had high unacceptable rates of maternal mortality. A report by the World Health Organisation – WHO – found that maternal mortality rates for the period 1990 to 2013 rose from 210 death in 1990 to 250 death in 2013. There was also a high incidence of cervical cancer – 46.9% per 100,000 persons due to inaction under the previous government.
It is clear that under the PPP, no clear effort was expended to promote preventative health. There was a general lack of access to potable water and sanitation facilities were not maintained. Vector-borne diseases were prevalent. Malaria reached endemic levels in some hinterland regions. Hospitals and clinic nationwide suffered from a lack of life-saving drugs.
Added to this, by 2013, towards the end of the PPP’s time in government, the numbers of doctors and nurses dropped to 9.5 and 15.3 per 10,000 persons respectively. This was the PPP’s abysmal record in the health sector during their time in office.
The APNU+AFC government has been addressing these deficiencies over the past four years. We believe that Guyanese deserve a world class healthcare system, regardless of where they live or how much money they have.
Since taking office, the Granger-led administration has built several new clinics, especially in the rural and hinterland areas to ensure that isolated communities are served. The Public Health Ministry has made significant progress in tackling preventable diseases, through a sustained expansion of its vaccination programme; Guyana can now boast of over 90% coverage for the entire country. Our children will soon live in a country without Polio, Tetanus and Tuberculosis, thanks to the efforts of the APNU+AFC government.
During the 23 long years of the PPP administration, it was no secret that billions of dollars were wasted on bureaucracy and shady deals that did not deliver for the Guyanese people. However, this government has been able to reverse that trend.
We did not create the mess that our healthcare system was in, but the APNU+AFC government have taken the responsibility for fixing it. Our public hospitals now have the necessary specialists and diagnostic equipment that can help identify and treat more complex illnesses.
Today, there is more availability of medicines, through expansion of drug dispensaries and the training of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians. By providing training and resources, we have managed to reverse the deadly trend in the area of maternity survival and disease prevention.
Since 2016, the APNU+AFC have provided funding of $91.5 billion to ensure that all Guyanese have access to good quality healthcare; a further $35.9 billion was allocated for 2019. The government has increased the number of medical professionals across all regions, so there are now over 13 doctors and 36 nurses for every 10, 000 persons.
A new drug procurement system is being introduced. This system will increase stock rates from 65% to 95% thus eliminating shortages. Greater financial and technical support has been allotted in the area of preventable diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
Malaria cases have reduced from 17, 599 reported cases in 2014 to 11, 000 reported cases in 2018. Vaccination against tuberculosis increased from 90% in 2015 to 98% in 2018. This has led to a decline in the incidence of tuberculosis. Increase availability of retroviral treatments for HIV has resulted in the infection rate remaining stable at 1.7% of the population. The government has also launched a national programme to immunize children against the human papillomavirus – HPV.
In 2019 alone, twenty-two new medical facilities have been commissioned. The infrastructure has been upgraded at several clinics and hospitals. Greater specialised care is now available in the areas of radiology, paediatrics, neo-natal care, anaesthesia, gynaecology and cardiac intensive care. Water ambulances were commissioned at Bartica in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region, at Orealla in the East Berbice Corentyne Region, and another at Linden in the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region.
The improvement in the health sector under the APNU+AFC government has been tremendous. Under this government, access to public health services is constantly being improved. Maternity waiting homes have been commissioned to accommodate high-risk pregnant mothers.
The Ministry of Public Health is in the process of mapping the proximity of health facilities to communities to ensure that, as far as possible, a health facility is located within 5km of a community. Preventative treatment will continue to be intensified. A programme for the screening of and treatment of eye diseases in children and providing them with low-costs spectacles is one of the many interventions to be undertaken.
Under the APNU+AFC, Guyana is on the right path. A modern laboratory for testing food and food products has been established to ensure food safety. A telemedicine initiative, utilizing ICT to diagnose and treat persons in remote areas is currently being tested in several of our hinterland regions.
Although progress has been made, we know that real change is neither quick to come by or easy to establish. There is still a lot to do. But with your help and support, David Granger and his Coalition team can finish the job and fix our health system so that, together, Guyana can move forward.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

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