Gy$19.2B allocation will advance development of new strategic health plan

During the presentation of the Gy$208.8 billion, 2013 National Budget in the National Assembly, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh said the health sector will advance development of a new strategic plan, which will incorporate lessons learnt from the previous strategic plan while still consolidating the gains made in the sector over the past five years. It is in this context that Gy$19.2B has been allocated to the sector with the aim of achieving universal health coverage through the primary health care approach, he stated.

Over Gy$17B was expended in 2012, the final year of the National Health Strategic Plan 2008-2012. For the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of health infrastructure countrywide, Gy$2.3B has been allocated, of which Gy$1.3B has been budgeted for the state-of-the-art specialty surgical hospital and the Port Kaituma District Hospital.
In an effort to improve the supply chain management system, a new pharmaceutical and medical warehouse, equipped with necessary software was commissioned recently, and is expected to result in a more efficient distribution network for drugs and medical supplies.
Minister Singh said that over Gy$369M million has been budgeted for human resource development to enhance the competency of health officials.
“The system will benefit from the return of a further 278 Cuban- trained doctors who will be deployed countrywide,” he said.
Further, in the context of specialised care, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in collaboration with overseas universities, is offering post-graduate programmes in gynaecology, orthopaedics, internal medicine, paediatrics, emergency medicine, anaesthesiology and surgery.
“Maternal health is a top priority on government’s health- care agenda, with a view of advancing progress towards the reduction of maternal mortality and under-five mortality… in early March, national consultations were held to develop an action plan towards eliminating the current bottlenecks in the provision of quality maternal health- care services as part of the MDG Acceleration Framework process,” the Minister explained.
The under-five mortality concerns are being addressed with, among other things, a neonatal intensive care unit being established at the GPHC with support from an overseas- based partner and will be expanded through the same joint public-private initiative in Linden and West Demerara.
Minister Singh pointed out that in an effort to intensify the fight against malaria; government has budgeted for the procurement and distribution of over 6,000 long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets for hinterland communities, primarily in mining areas.
In addition, chronic non-communicable diseases now present a particular challenge for Guyana and the world. These include cardiovascular disease and hypertension, diabetes, cancers and chronic pulmonary diseases.
“Changing lifestyles, especially in diet and an emerging sedentary habit, the use of tobacco and abuse of alcohol have contributed significantly to the shift from communicable diseases, and budget allocations within the health sector will increasingly target addressing this shift,” Minister Singh posited.