The Ministry of Health will receive its largest budgetary provision this year, as efforts are ongoing to train more health practitioners and build modern healthcare facilities.
Senior Minister for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh says the sum of $129.8 billion will also help to tackle chronic diseases in Guyana.
When approved, the $129.8 billion dollars will play a crucial role in upgrading and constructing of healthcare facilities, expanding diagnostic care and treatment services, procure medicines and medical supplies as well as expand tertiary education for health practitioners.
In fact, of that sum, $10.3 billion will go towards the paediatric and maternal hospital at Ogle.
Another $15.5 billion will go towards the construction of regional hospitals at Bath, De Kindren, Diamond, Enmore, Lima and the No. 75 Village.
The Finance Minister noted that government’s intention to training and recruiting more healthcare workers are part of efforts to curb the challenges posed by the local labour shortage.
“Like many developing countries around the world, Guyana continues to be challenges by competition for healthcare workers especially nurses…in 2023, there was intake of over 2,000 students to the medical service programme and in 2024 a cohort of over 3,500 students of which approximately 2,000 persons enrolled in the nursing programme and we have said publicly anybody who has the qualifications and wishes to be trained as a nurse need only apply and will be accepted,” Dr. Singh posited.
Last year, the health sector got $90.2 billion in budgetary provisions.
