Environmental, social management plan to be implemented early 2017

GINA, GUYANA, Thursday, November 3, 2016

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon today, announced that a steering committee will be established to oversee the implementation of the Environment and Social Management Plan which will run for a period of five years, 2017 – 2021. This plan is expected to be implemented early 2017.

The Environment and Social Management plan ties in with the Government’s focus of improving Maternal and Child Health in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Minister Harmon, speaking at a post- Cabinet briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency, said, “The project was developed to support and improve Maternal and Child Health in Guyana out of concerns for the high maternal and infant mortality rates that are among the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

The project carries a value of US $80M, and will focus on strengthening reproductive, maternal and neonatal health services, as well as the national health care network.

The committee will be chaired by a representative of Ministry of Public Health and include representatives from the Ministries of the Presidency, Finance, Communities, and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs.

Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton had recently indicated the Government has plans to roll-out a number of Maternal and Child Health Programmes that will see effective practices being taken into consideration to reduce or even eliminate such deaths.

Dr. Norton also explained that special attention must be placed on the hinterland regions to improve health care and ensure that doctors and midwives are present in these regions.

 

 

By: Delicia Haynes