Home News “We will witness a sharp and rapid positive transformation” – Finance Minister...
…as $84.9B allocated in budget for health sector
A massive $84.9 billion has been allocated in the 2023 National Budget for the health sector; and this, combined with several projects in the pipeline, will transform the infrastructural landscape of the health sector in 2023.
This is the position shared by Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, during his 2023 budget presentation to the National Assembly this week. The Finance Minister shared that since the PPP/C Government assumed office just over two years ago, delivering world class healthcare has been high on the agenda. As a result, in 2022, $74.5 billion was expended in the sector, and this amount has been significantly increased this year.
He cited advancements in the Maternal and Pediatric Hospital and six new regional hospitals as major projects for this year, for which over $13 billion would be spent.
“In 2023, we will witness a sharp and rapid positive transformation of infrastructure in the healthcare sector…an amount of $13.1 billion is allocated for those projects,” Dr Singh has said.
On the issue of maternal health, and specially to address maternal mortality, he said maternal waiting homes would be established at Moruca and Kato, and a maternity ward would be established at the New Amsterdam Hospital in 2022. A maternal waiting home at Mabaruma is expected to be completed this year.
The Minister told the House, “These investments will help to reduce maternal mortality, which currently stands at an estimated 112 per 100,000 at the end of 2022 – a statistic that we would like to reduce and, ideally, completely eliminate.”
Some $830 million has been allocated to complete the design and commence construction of the Bartica Regional Hospital; and to retrofit and upgrade health centres and other health facilities, $1 billion will be spent. The Karasabai, Sand Creek and Annai Health Centres would also be upgraded to district hospitals at which radiology and laboratory services can be facilitated. This will cost $237 million. Money has also been budgeted to complete works at the National Psychiatric Hospital in East Berbice.
Part of the patient care experience and ability to deliver services is the availability of medical and non-medical equipment, and $2.5 billion will be spent for such upgrades.
“In relation to materials management and pharmaceuticals, we are investing in storage capacity, improving storage conditions for cold chain products, providing decentralised training of pharmacy assistants for more effective pharmaceutical supply management. And in 2023, we aim to fulfil over 80 percent of all requests made for drugs and medical supplies,” he disclosed.
The Finance Minister also indicated that, given the sharp infrastructural advancements, Government is also looking to meet all human resource needs in the new and expanded system. In 2022, 52 doctors and 53 nurses were deployed to augment the existing complement in the hinterland region. This meant villages like White Water, Shulinab and Monkey Mountain could visit a resident doctor.
“Over $500 million is allocated this year for the training of healthcare professionals,” Dr Singh also announced.
In 2022, 27,000 persons were screened for major non-communicable diseases. The aim in 2023 is to achieve 50,000 screenings.
“On communicable diseases, we have budgeted a sum of $88 million for the procurement of an additional consignment of long-lasting insecticidal bed nets, to defend over 132,000 persons against malaria,” he said.
Some of the initiatives to be launched include having every expecting mother benefitting from at least one ultrasound and visit to an obstetrician, along with screening for postpartum depression among post-delivery.
