Integration of public, private sectors key to Guyana’s healthcare vision – Pres Ali

As the Guyana Government works on building out a healthcare system that is second to none in the Region, President Dr Irfaan Ali said this requires the seamless integration of both the public and private healthcare services.
Delivering the feature address on Friday at the commissioning of Eureka Labs’ Urgent Care Clinic & Pharmacy – the first of its kind in the country, the Head of State posited that there have been tremendous gains in the healthcare sector within a short time.

He outlined that the collaboration between the private and public health sectors was successfully demonstrated during the height of COVID-19 pandemic here.
“What we were able to achieve was a holistic integration of our healthcare infrastructure, and that is what is important. I do not see the investment in healthcare by all the stakeholders in Guyana as competition. I see it as part of a holistic infrastructure that is supporting the vision of the country and that vision is to build a healthcare system that is second to none,” he posited.
Currently, Government has embarked on a programme that focuses on competitiveness and economies of scale.
According to President Ali, a lot of the specialised services in the public sector such as testing, diagnostic services and treatment are being outsourced affordably at private health institutions. This, he noted, is reflective of that seamless integration between the public and private healthcare sectors.
“Yes, the Government is on an extensive expansion of healthcare facilities across the country and we do not see that in any way conflicting with the private sector because… there are niches that no public health can offer. And we are to build a national healthcare infrastructure that will be export-earning oriented then we have to get all of these facilities firing on all their cylinders, delivering at an optimum level.”
Earlier this year, Government partnered with several private hospitals in Guyana to reduce the backlog for echocardiogram ‘echo’ and ultrasound tests, which were backdated due to the pandemic.
President Ali, in April, had disclosed that some 3000 persons are waiting for echocardiogram tests and over 2000 persons are on the waiting list for ultrasound tests at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The backlog was built up after regional hospitals were referring patients requiring these tests to the city hospital.
The Head of State had announced that Government would foot the bill for these tests to be conducted at private hospitals, which agreed to reduce the fees.
During Friday’s event, the Guyanese leader lauded the work of Eureka Labs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when they set up testing facilities at the two airports which were key in Guyana being a transit hotspot. This, he noted, coupled with the company’s opening of an Urgent Care Clinic and Pharmacy is demonstrative of the collective ownership of Guyana’s vision for healthcare delivery services.
“That is the most exciting thing for me – the way in which we have come together in collectively owning the vision for healthcare in Guyana.

This is not the vision of the President, this is not the vision of a Government [but] this has now become a national vision and what we’re seeing is a national approach in the achievement of that vision in setting Guyana apart from all others in terms of healthcare delivery,” he stated.
According to the Head of State, the global healthcare service infrastructure has changed rapidly since COVID due to the lack of human resources, limited funding and especially because of the impact the pandemic had on infrastructure in many countries.
But President Ali noted that the Eureka Labs story is a corporate success that celebrates only a medical accomplishment but is also a win for private sector. He pointed out with the rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in every sector across the world, the need for innovation, research and development will play a key role in the future.
However, the Guyanese leader said Eureka is also positioning itself with an innovative approach to healthcare.
“Eureka has a much larger place in the health sphere of things in Guyana… As President, I’m extremely proud of your accomplishment and the tremendous work that this group has done in building out the healthcare infrastructure and in supporting good healthcare delivery in our country.” (G8)