Minister Singh hands over essential supplies to Regional Health Department in Region Six under the auspices of BNTF  

–reminds of Government’s commitment to ensure Guyanese receive quality health services throughout the Regions

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, while in Region Six today, handed over to the Regional Health Department a quantity of cleaning and sanitizing supplies to be distributed to various health institutions in the East Berbice/Corentyne Region. The Minister was visiting the Region to spearhead Government’s ‘Because We Care’ cash grant initiative at the J.C. Chandisingh Secondary School and stopped at the Health Department to hand over the essential supplies on behalf of the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), a sub agency of the Ministry of Finance which receives financial support from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). Prior to handing over the supplies, the Minister also took the opportunity to remind health officials that they all play an important role in ensuring that quality health care is provided to citizens.

Minister Singhalluded to the recent sod-turning ceremony on Saturday last for a new maternal and paediatric care hospitalbeing constructed by Government and also emphasized to those in attendance that Government wants to ensure that all mothers, expectant mothers and newborn infants enjoy quality and modern health care. He added that Government is also committed to constructing six new modern Regional Hospitals with one to be constructed in Region Six, as well as more health centres countrywide including a new one soon to be completed at Fort Ordinance. 

“In addition to this, recognizing the unique geography of Guyana, we want to make sure also that we deliver quality health care even to remote communities, including hinterland communities and small Amerindian village, and we are going to be developing four telemedicine centres so that we can use the expertise that is located at the major centres like Georgetown, New Amsterdam and elsewhere and deploy that expertise to the benefit of remote communities as well,” Dr. Singh explained.

‘Whatever job you do, you are providing a critical service to a large population base and you are providing that service to people at a time when they are most vulnerable,” the Senior Finance Minister concluded as he urged that health officials in the Region ensure that they deliver quality care to patients  in a ‘sensitive, attentive and compassionate manner’ while Government will continue to ensure that they are provided with the infrastructure and all the essential health supplies to carry out this service.