The Public Health Ministry has been allocated $35.9B for 2019.
According to Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, a significant portion of this sum will go towards improvements for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
During the fourth day for budget debates, Lawrence said that GPHC will receive $524.6M for the completion and furnishing of the Waterloo Street Staff Quarters, the commencement of works to rehabilitate and extend the pre and post-natal wards at the Maternity Unit; the renovation of the mental health clinic and transformation to a mental health ward; the construction of a four-storey building in the GPHC compound to relocate the Main Pharmacy and the Medical Records Department; and the upgrading of Health Management Information Systems across the hospital.
Lawrence said that the hospital will also procure a new C-Arm machine to assist in orthopedics and urology surgeries.
In order to eliminate the inadequacies of the 18-bed Emergency Unit that exists at the Georgetown Hospital, the Public Health Minister said that there will be the construction of a state of the art Trauma Centre. She said that it will be built in an effort to control patient flows, and to accommodate more patients seeking medical attention.
She said, “The construction of the Trauma Centre will see an increase in the number of in-patient ward space, with the number of beds increasing from 483 to 1000, more outpatient clinic space and an increase in the number of theatres from five to 12, including two separate theatres for Obstetrics and Gynaecology.”
Speaking to her other plans for 2019, Lawrence said that a subsidy to the tune of $6.5 million will be provided to the Phoenix Recovery Project to aid in their Rehabilitation programmes.
Additionally, the Minister said that $9.23 million will be injected into the Eye Care Guyana Programme, not only to keep it afloat after donor funds were curtailed but to ensure that the Guyanese could access and benefit from affordable eye care.
As for the National Commission on Disability, the Minister was proud to reveal that $18.6 has been budgeted to aid in the execution of their programmes.
Lawrence noted that on top of the aforementioned, a comprehensive legislative agenda will be pursued to improve the health sector. She said that Guyanese can expect to see in the National Assembly, the following documents: the Nurses and Midwives Bill, the Health Protection and Promotion Bill, Regulations for the use of radiation sources and for the management of the associated radioactive waste; and an amendment to the Licensing of Health Facilities Act.
