Region Five credit 2025 achievements to inter-agency collaboration, Govt. support

Jan 31, 2026 News

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By Shermon Hawker

(Kaieteur News) – Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) is poised for exponential advancements encouraged by a sturdy foundation laid by its administration over the last several months across critical sectors.

The region, led by Chairman Recardo Phillips, has returned favorable reports of its performance in administration and finance, agriculture, public works, education, and health services. Phillips stated that these areas have each recorded significant upward trends service quality.

The chairman recently engaged journalists at his office, where he offered a review of the region for the last year, particularly from the commencement of his tenure as regional chairman.

Regional Administration and Finance

Phillips noted that prudent fiscal stewardship has resulted in an enhanced performance of policy implementation.

“Region Five, which spans from the right bank of the Mahaica River to Itacha on the left bank of the Berbice River, has seen tremendous development in every single sector, and those are infrastructure, social services- and those social include housing, water distribution, and services delivered from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security. They are far-reaching, and they are wide-ranging.”

The RDC”s 2025 budget (recurrent) across the five programmes totaled $6.3 billion, with 773.4 million set for the capital programme.

Referring to transformation in the region, the chairman also attributed the successes to strong inter-agency collaboration, and a balanced coordination between central government, the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), and the Neighborhood Democratic Council (NDC).

Health Services

On the health sector, Phillips told media operatives that the region has made vital inroads in strengthening health services over the last year. These include developing infrastructure, improving access to care, and stronger front-line capacity.

One of the major highlights was the July 30, 2025 commissioning of the $6.6 billon Bath Regional Hospital, a 75-bed facility which supplements the Fort Wellington Hospital and the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital in the provision of health care. This latest addition to the medical system brought on stream services that were unavailable to the region, some of which include Intensive Care Unit (ICU), High Dependency Unit (HDU), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), CT scan, expanded surgical capacity, and increase in operation theatres in the region. Telemedicine was also introduced to the Amerindian community of Moraikobai.

Additionally, an estimated 6,000 residents of Region Five will now benefit from three newly installed health centers at District No.10, Jacob and Esau, and Abary, the chairman disclosed.

“We also had improved access to medicines and transport services. Our drug availability increased to over 90 per cent at hospitals and over 93 per cent at health centers…. we also had expanded medical services, and these are with the introduction of specialist clinics in urology, nephrology, nutrition and psychiatry.”

Presenting figures from the roll out of the national health voucher programme, Phillips disclosed that more than 13,000 received eye testing vouchers, over 9,000 received spectacles, over 3,000 benefited from cervical cancer screening, and over 9,000 benefited from the universal health voucher.

In 2025, construction commenced for the first ever Simulation Training Center. Now at 85 per cent completion, it is well on track to be opened this year.

The chairman also stated that 119 nursing assistants, 38 patient care assistants, and 15 laboratory technicians graduated in 2025 and now help to sustain the sector

Public Works

Upgrades for the region’s infrastructure concentrated primarily on internal drains, roads and bridges (inclusive of concrete structures), which are all community projects. The larger projects are executed at the level of the Ministry of Public Works.

“For the public works programme, we have seen the construction of concrete drains and sidewalk at Bygeval Secondary School, First Cross Street Bush Lot, Second Cross Street Bush Lot, and we’ve seen significant construction of concrete bridges in various communities in Rosignol and No. 8 Villages. We have also seen upgrades in a lot of farm-to-market roads, and those are at Abary, Jerry Narine Canal, Seafield, Blairmont and Cotton Tree,” Phillips outlined.

Education

A critical sector, the regional chairman noted the government’s emphasis on education. He stressed that quality education is essential to the upliftment of the population.

Within Region Five, there are 72 education facilities, including 31 nursery schools, 30 primary schools, nine secondary institutions, five Special Education Needs Centers, and one practical instruction center. Of these, the enrollment figures for male are 5,531, while female stands at 5,249.

For the proper accommodation of learners, the regional administration has over the last year undertaken multiple projects that saw newly constructed facilities as well as upgrades to existing ones.

“Some notable infrastructural improvements to educational facilities in Region include…a new school in Augsburg, extension of the Cotton Tree Primary, major renovations at Rosignol Primary and Mortice Primary, and there are extended spaces at Woodley Park Primary, No. 29 Primary, Belladrum Primary, and Mahaicony Primary.”

Highlighting further advances in the sector, the chairman said there is an increase in the matriculation rate for that region.

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• Bath Regional Hospital, collaboration, inter-agency, Recardo Phillips, Region Five

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