Citizens in Region 6 deserve better health care

Dear Editor,
It’s very much unfortunate but I am compelled to criticise a sector that I am mandated to oversee by the Regional Democratic Council Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). The regional health system has been in crisis since the assumption of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government in 2015. One of the major reasons is that the person who manages the most critical sector doesn’t even have a clue about public health. Let us give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he had accumulated a few years of experience but it is unacceptable for him to claim publicly that the Skeldon Hospital crisis, where drugs and medical supplies shortages led to a crisis, was caused by some internal communications glitches. In other countries, such a response would have warranted a termination. In the health system there should be no room for any excuses by senior Government officials, because the Government is gambling with people’s lives.
Since 2015, Region Six has seen increases in the salaries of the upper management of key health institutions, such as the administrator for Skeldon Hospital, the National Psychiatric Hospital, the Port Mourant Hospital, and the Mibikuri Hospital.The management of the Region Six health sector is costing taxpayers’ millions, and as such, deficiency must not be tolerated by this APNU/AFC Government because they want to satisfy a few political allies at the expense of people’s lives. This APNU/AFC Government is managing a hospital with 60 per cent drugs, while Moses Nagamootoo, David Granger and other Ministers are receiving health care in Ireland, USA and Canada. This is an insult to hard-working taxpayers of this country. We demand better healthcare delivery in Guyana.

Respectfully,
Zamal Hussain
Chairman
Regional Health
Committee
Region Six