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‘23 nurses to every 10,000 patients in Guyana’

Jan 31, 2025 News

-Dr. Karen Cummings tells Parliament health sector in crisis

 Kaieteur News-Despite a budgetary allocation of over $143 billion, Guyana’s health sector continues to suffer wanton waste and lack of critical resources with Shadow Health Minister, Dr. Karen Cummings describing it as an expensive band-aid to a sector that is in crisis.

Speaking during the budget debates, Dr. Cummings described the budget as offering no real answers, just empty slogans and recycled promises. The former Health Minister gave statistics which reflected the growing decline in the number of healthcare providers in the system.

“Mr. Speaker, Budget 2025 boasts of a prosperous and sustainable Guyana …instead it has delivered insecurity for the working class; prosperity for the privileged few and sustainability for those already at the top. This budget is being sold as a step forward but the reality it is an expensive band-aid on a health system in crisis.”  “Budget 2025 is a high-priced illusion. The government boasts that $143 billion will be poured into the health sector but citizens are yet to reap the benefits, many often show up to see the doctors and have to wait hours sometimes days for basic medical treatment…”

She noted that the administration has allowed nurses to leave the country because of their refusal to pay nurses a livable wage. “The spiteful and reckless conduct of the government with its refusal to pay nurses a livable wage has now left every citizen depending on few nurses for healthcare and the remaining nurses seeking second jobs. It is not surprising yet it’s worrisome the data show we now have an average 23 nurses for every 10,000.” “The number of hospital beds in Guyana to determine the strength of healthcare delivery and the number of healthcare providers.  The country had an average of 42 beds per 10,000 population in the period of 2000-2002…There was decline from 2004; in 2004, there was a dramatic decline to 25 beds per 10,000 people. And after spending almost $400 billion on the health sector, 36 beds per 10,000 persons,” Dr. Cummings revealed.

She continued “The healthcare system is in a crisis; in recent times, there are persons who did not sustain life threatening injuries that would have succumbed to their injuries following treatment. It is due of the decline in the availability of healthcare assets and providers…”

Dr. Cummings noted that a working public healthcare system is the hallmark of a thriving economy. “Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that primary healthcare must be the pillar of the nation’s health strategy and should take center stage of universal health coverage to be achieved. In our public healthcare system today, persons turn up at public health facilities to seek medical care, only to be told, here is some money or a voucher to go seek care at a popular private institution.” “Yet the government is proudly allocating $28.1B for drugs and medical supplies. Yet the Auditor General Report tells a damning story of billions paid up front to contractors yet nearly $1 billion worth of medical supplies remain undelivered …this is not just inefficiency, it is reckless management,” Dr. Cummings added.

The former Health Minister said that if the Government were interested in addressing the gaps in the healthcare, they would have taken steps to improve it. “The government approach to healthcare is like patching potholes while ignoring the road beneath. We need nationwide screening, early intervention programmes and community-based health workers let us stop treating the symptoms and start preventing diseases.”

Turning her attention to overall budgetary sum of $1.38 trillion, the Opposition MP said while the government continues to boast that Guyana has the fastest growing economy, its citizens are starving for opportunities. “There are little or no qualitative and quantitative changes in the lives of ordinary Guyanese citizens,” Dr. Cummings said.

(‘23 nurses to every 10,000 patients in Guyana’)

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