Government’s quest ongoing for the nation’s medicare

Dec 06, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor

“Health is Wealth” will never be a cliché, and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic is more than ensuring that this axiom be the living reality of all Guyana. Proving my point is easy, and so I gladly revise that during the Budget 2024 debate, our Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, did expound “… that the health sector (was) on the verge of (a) healthcare revolution.” At the time, the Health Minister rightfully boasted that “With an allocation of $129.8B in Budget 2024, the PPP Government is walking the talk of this revolutionary, transformative health agenda.”

So, Editor, I am not surprised, and in fact, am well pleased that just recently, “434 nursing professionals graduate(d) from the Georgetown School of Nursing (GNS).” The details make for good consumption, as these health care professionals received certificates and diplomas in a range of fields, and represent the largest batch of students to graduate from the GNS. The lot comprised 201 Registered Nurses (RN), 36 Post Basic Midwives, 26 Single Trained Midwives and 171 Nursing Assistants. Congratulations! The achievement is very stupendous for both the students and the PPP/C Government, and overall, this is a good fillip for the health sector.

Now contextualising this boost in the local health status in Guyana, I refer to the National Library of Medicine, where it is outlined that the health sector, globally, is not where it should be as “The ‘crisis in human resources’ herein has been described as one of the most pressing global health issues of our time.” And according to the World Health Organization (WHO), “… the world faces a global shortage of almost 4.3 million doctors, midwives, nurses, and other healthcare professionals … (and as we all know), a global undersupply of these threatens the quality and sustainability of health systems worldwide.”

For sure then, the Health Ministry is well-informed and has a good ‘Plan of Action.’ And by the way, the plan still has more in the near offing, as was portended in Budget 2024: cardiology diagnostic and treatment services slated for GPHC, infrastructure and personnel for large-scale Maternal and Paediatric care, additional construction for a Level 5 hospital in New Amsterdam, and a third advanced cardiology centre for heart disease diagnosis and intervention, etc.

During the graduation exercise, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), at the Health Ministry, Dr. Narine Singh, highlighted that up to 2020, Guyana was producing just over some 200 nurses. But a significant increase is now the reality. The reason is the investments made by the government, via the healthcare sector over the years. The CMO detailed that “At one time, Guyana was only turning out around 250 nurses and that was not adequate, we needed to expand the nurses training programme, and so we only had three schools at that time. Today, we have the training programme in several regions.”

That is why I will iterate a million times that the health outlook in Guyana is quite promising, and yes, challenges will always be there, but the requisite foresight will ensure, as the CMO pointed out that “We have a task to train at least 3000 nurses within the next three (3) years, taking into consideration the migration that we all experience, (and) this is not unique to Guyana, as most of the Caribbean countries are experiencing migration.

Editor, time and space will not permit me to elaborate on something that was well brought out at the graduation, that is, the accompanying attitude of health care professionals. (In a nutshell though), it was impressed upon the graduates that they also have a responsibility to comfort these patients during these challenging moments. Why?

It is that “Nursing is not just a profession … it’s a calling; it’s a path that requires not only knowledge and technical skills … it is more than administering treatment or following protocols. It’s about showing compassion, offering comfort, listening with a deep sense of empathy and becoming a beacon of hope during some of the most challenging moments in people’s lives.”

Hopefully, the non-medical/psychological/mental aspects of Medicare will be very evident in this new era, as Government continues to invest in the nation’s well-being.

Yours truly,

Hargesh B. Singh.

(Government’s quest ongoing for the nation’s medicare)

Georgetown School of Nursing, GNS, Maternal and Paediatric care, Nursing Assistants, transformative health agenda

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