Health screening programme expanding to secondary schools next year
The government plans to expand its medical screening programme to include secondary school students in 2025 as part of the Ministry of Health’s Comprehensive Child and Youth Health Programme (CYHP).
Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, made the announcement on Tuesday during a media conference held at his office on Brickdam, Georgetown.
The expansion aims to provide preventative care to youth and promote a healthier lifestyle through the early detection of health-related conditions.
Each child will undergo a series of health examinations, including dental, hearing, and eye care, among other services. When necessary, children will receive appropriate follow-up care.
Dr. Anthony said that his ministry screened approximately 17,311 nursery school children and over 19,554 primary school pupils in 2024.
“Once we find that they have a pathology we were able to bring them into our clinics or hospitals to treat them,” Dr Anthony said.
In 2023, 11,205 nursery-aged children were screened for underlying health conditions.
The joint programme, spearheaded by the Ministries of Health and Education, was launched in August 2023 to improve child health outcomes nationwide.
Dr Anthony emphasised that these initiatives highlight the government’s commitment to fostering a healthier population.
In 2024, the ministry launched its Eye Testing and Spectacles Programme, which targeted pensioners and individuals under 18 years of age. Persons requiring an eye test benefitted from vouchers valued at $2,000.
In the event that corrective spectacles were required, a person would have been able to obtain a voucher worth $15,000 to cover its cost.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali announced that a $10,000 universal healthcare voucher would be introduced in 2025. This voucher will help finance basic medical examinations to establish baseline health statistics.
Approximately 500,000 individuals are expected to benefit from this $5 billion investment.
Over the past four years, the government has significantly increased its investments in the health sector, striving to deliver world-class healthcare services to all Guyanese.