Report debunks APNU’s claims at Elections campaign launch Sunday

A news report from the Department of Public Information (DPI) has debunked claims made by Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton at the launch of A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) 2025 campaign, in which he alleged that maternal deaths in Guyana are increasing.

This claim, made on a national platform, is factually wrong and dangerously out of touch with the significant strides Guyana has made in maternal and neonatal health under the current Government, the report noted.
The Ministry of Health’s most recent data paints a very different picture, it added as it went on to disprove the assertion.
According to the report, maternal deaths due to postpartum haemorrhage dropped from 23 cases in 2019 to just 14 in 2024. Neonatal deaths saw a 60 per cent reduction in the first nine months of 2024, falling from 68 to 28 when compared to the same period in 2023. These figures are the product of systemic reforms, not chance, the report stressed.
Globally, nearly 300,000 women die every year due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Yet while four out of five countries in the region are currently off track to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for maternal survival, Guyana is moving to achieve these goals. DPI said that Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony has credited the improvements to a range of Government-led initiatives.
Among them is the establishment of Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) in nine hospitals across the country, equipped with vital technology such as ventilators, incubators, pulse oximeters, and heart monitors along with the introduction of Maternal Waiting Homes, located within hospital compounds, provides housing for high-risk pregnant women in the hinterland and remote regions. These facilities ensure timely access to care in case of complications and reduce maternal and perinatal risks.

In addition, the implementation of 81 Telemedicine Hubs allows rural health workers to consult in real time with obstetricians and gynaecologists. These links also allow patients to undergo ultrasound diagnostics without leaving their communities.
The report also highlighted the launch of the Newborn Cash Grant, providing $100,000 to every newborn. More than 2,000 families have already benefited from this policy, which eases the financial burden of early childcare and promotes antenatal care participation. Government’s commitment to reducing maternal deaths, it pointed out, is the construction of a $12.4 billion Paediatric and Maternal Hospital at Ogle, set for completion in 2025.
“This is critical not only to improve care but also to strengthen surveillance, allowing for the timely identification, notification, quantification, and determination of potential causes of maternal deaths,” President Irfaan Ali had noted.
Meanwhile, equally debunked was another claim made at the launch that Aubrey Norton called “goalless”, the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), questioning the efficacy of the programme. Norton, the report stated, scoffed at the number of candidates who graduated with PhDs through the GOAL programme, effectively trivialising the hard work of Guyanese students during his speech at the Square of the Revolution. More than 30,000 Guyanese have also received fully funded online scholarships through GOAL, with over 70 per cent of them being women. The programme is giving people, both young and old, the chance to earn degrees, master’s, and even PhDs from international universities, without leaving their homes.
From communities in Region One to those in Region 10, thousands of Guyanese have been and are being equipped with the qualifications and skills needed for the country’s growth. The numbers show the scale of a G$12.5 billion investment so far, or about G$312,000 per student.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C) record of delivery is a sharp contrast to the APNU and the Alliance for Change (AFC) opposition, who are now promising free education, despite failing to implement it during their time in office.
In fact, under the former coalition Government, tuition fees increased, and VAT was placed on private education, the report pointed out