New Govt policy triggers looming public health crisis

…monies wasted on white elephant D’Urban Park could have prevented this – Jagdeo

A new policy being pursued by the coalition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government could potentially lead to a countrywide public health crisis if not addressed immediately.
The warning bell was sounded this past week by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who was at the time addressing members of the local media corps at his Party’s Freedom House Headquarters.

According to Jagdeo, “it seems that the Government is intent on not just shooting itself in the foot, but [is also intent] on destroying any long-term prospect for change in the country”.
Expanding on his position, the former President said he has, in recent weeks, been engaging with several of the young doctors returning from training in Cuba and has since learnt that the Government has been pushing an agenda to have these persons enrolled through the traditional pensionable public service.
This, the Opposition Leader said, will serve as a disincentive and could very well see Guyana losing its trained healthcare delivery personnel in droves, should Government persist.
Jagdeo told media operatives that under previous Administrations, priority was placed on guaranteeing “each person a job in public service when they’re finished training”.
According to the Opposition Leader, persons on their return from specialist training are now being told by representatives of the Administration that jobs were not available since no money was available to pay the salaries.
“This government now is demanding that people go on the pensionable establishment and not contract as was the choice before,” Jagdeo reported.
He has since surmised that most doctors would lose contract gratuity and other benefits if they were forced to go on the pensionable system.
Jagdeo told media operatives that he was being informed that those that have completed five years on contract are being told they would have to be placed on the pensionable system.
“This is gonna cause major problems,” Jagdeo said, even as he surmised that the situation would lead to heightened dissatisfaction and a loss of doctors.
Jagdeo suggested that there was in fact money available to avoid the pitfalls of such a move by the Administration.
He reckoned that it would maybe cost a couple hundred million dollars to keep the trained doctors on contract.
Jagdeo, in highlighting the Administration’s ability to foot the bill, pointed to the almost one billion dollars spent on the construction of the D’Urban Park facility which he said has now become a white elephant.
That money, according to Jagdeo, could have been used to meet the salaries and benefits for doctors for another five years.
“Why we want to chase people who we invested in?” Jagdeo questioned, and posited, “it will cause major dissatisfaction… It could lead to a reversal of what we had, that is more doctors in the system.”
On the matter of the previous Administration’s commitment to the nation’s healthcare delivery, Jagdeo pointed at efforts to improve the facilities through the building of several new facilities, improved availability of drugs and medical supplies, and personnel.
He used the occasion to recall that the previous Administration had its focus on the training of personnel, adopting a position to “train beyond our means, beyond the migration curve”.
This, he said, ensured that there were an adequate number of trained personnel in the healthcare delivery system.