$1.5B in major salary increases for over 5000 healthcare workers

…specialist doctors to get 62.7% increase; medical officers to get 36.4%

…staff nurses to get 51.8% increase; midwives to benefit from 74.7%

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has announced a raft of new salary increases for medical workers, with some increases ranging from 36.4 per cent to as much as 74.7 per cent.
Making the announcement on Monday night was President Dr Irfaan Ali. In a national address, the President revealed that medical officers will now have their current minimum salary increased from $219,878 to $300,000, representing a 36.4 per cent increase.
Meanwhile, medical officers who have completed one year of post-employment experience will now have their current minimum salary adjusted to $351,204.

He also announced that medical officers who have completed two years of post-employment experience will now have their current minimum salary adjusted to $414,032 in line with the current practice at the GPHC.
Additionally, medical officers who have completed three years of post-employment experience will now have their current minimum salary adjusted to $446,160. The increases for the medical officers are all in line with the current practice at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
Specialist doctors, such as gynaecologists and endocrinologists will now have their minimum salaries increased from $276,536 to $450,000. This represents an additional 62.7 per cent increase on the current minimum salary. On the other hand, medical interns will now have their current minimum salary increased from $151,374 to $200,000, representing a 32.1 per cent increase.

Nurses
Nurse aides and patient care assistants will meanwhile have their current minimum salary adjusted upwards from $80,892 to $100,000. This represents an additional 23.6 per cent increase on the current minimum salary paid to each worker.

Nursing assistants will now have their current minimum salary adjusted upwards from $88,525 to $115,000. This represents an additional 29.9 per cent increase on the current minimum salary paid to a nursing assistant.
Midwives will now have their current minimum salary adjusted upwards from $96,974 to $169,438. This represents an additional 74.7 per cent increase on the current minimum salary paid to a midwife.
Staff nurses will now have their current minimum salary adjusted upwards from $111,628 to $169,438. This represents an additional 51.8 per cent increase on the current minimum salary paid to a staff nurse.
Staff nurses/midwives will also have their current minimum salary adjusted upwards from $127,963 to $195,000. This is an additional 52.4 per cent increase on the current minimum salary paid to a staff nurse/midwife.
When it comes to ensuring that the public healthcare system is supported by adequately qualified technicians and allied health professionals, the Government is adjusting the salaries for several categories of these workers.
This includes pharmacy assistants, who will now all have their current minimum salary adjusted upwards from $84,662 to $100,000, which is an additional 18.1 per cent increase on the current minimum salary paid to these workers.

Dental aides and laboratory aides will meanwhile have their current minimum salary adjusted upwards, from $80,892 to $100,000. This represents as much as an additional 23.6 per cent increase on the current minimum salary paid to these workers.
Community health workers will now have their current minimum salary adjusted upwards from $88,525 to $100,000. This represents an additional 13 per cent increase on the current minimum salary.
Medex will now have their current minimum salary adjusted upwards from $152,420 to $200,000. This represents an additional 31.2 per cent increase on the current minimum salary. The President made it known that over 5000 people will benefit from these increases.

Optimum service
According to the President, his Government has kept their commitments, whether it was for the sugar workers or the healthcare workers. He further assured that the salary and benefits for health workers will continue to be improved. At the same time, he urged healthcare workers to deliver services at the utmost levels.
“This Government remains committed to bringing prosperity to every home. In improving the livelihood and living conditions of every single Guyanese, in every single village. We are working day in, day out, to make your lives better. Every day is getting better. Every year will get better. We ask you to stay the course with us, as we work together on making life more beautiful, promising and prosperous.”
“We ask of our healthcare workers, to deliver at the highest levels. We ask you to repay our country with excellent care. With good customer service. With patience and love. With dedication and commitment. With trust and fulfilment of your oath. These are only some of the long categories of workers in the healthcare system, that I have addressed tonight.”
The President further noted that under his Government, the healthcare system has been steadily improving from an infrastructure, medical, skill, human resource and now, from a welfare perspective.
These increases come just a few weeks after President Ali had announced an eight per cent salary increase for all public servants, retroactive to January 1, 2022. At the time, he had said further announcements would be made regarding specific categories of public sector employees, particularly for the Disciplined Services.
True to his word, the President subsequently announced that 8000 members of the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Defence Force would get salary increases that would amount to over $1 billion.
Since coming to office in 2020, the PPP/C Government has made concerted efforts to improve the lives of public servants and Guyanese as a whole. Among these measures were the payment of a seven per cent across-the-board increase to public servants in 2021; the restoration of the one-month tax-free year-end bonuses to the Disciplined Services totalling more than $1 billion per annum; an increase of about 40 per cent in the monthly old-age pension from $20,500 to $28,000, providing a total pension pay out of more than $21 billion to senior citizens; and an increase of 55 per cent in public assistance payments from $9000 to $14,000 monthly, providing a total of more than $3 billion in annual income support to the beneficiaries. (G3)