Budget – $21.5B allocated to health sector –more hospitals to be built

download (1)

Georgetown: $21.5B the second largest allocation of the 2014 National Budget, is being directed towards the Health Sector for the achievement of its strategic goals. This was disclosed during the Budget presentation by Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh in the National Assembly. .

Minister Singh revealed that for 2014, $2.4B has been budgeted for the construction and upgrade of health care facilities countrywide including the Port Kaituma District Hospital, Linden Hospital Complex, Kwakwani Hospital the acute care facility at the National Psychiatric Hospital, and the Georgetown School of Nursing.

Additionally, $910M has been allocated for the specialty hospital and $382.7M for the purchase of medical equipment. The sum of $117M is allocated for the purchase of 12 ambulances which represents a 40 percent increase in the national fleet. 

 

In efforts to continue both primary and specialised health training over $428 M has been allocated to train 20 additional post-graduate residents and upgrade over 4000 providers.

 

The sum of $50M has been allocated to commence the extension of the maternity facility at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation to ensure increased bed capacity while $22.6M is allocated for the establishment of maternity waiting homes in Lethem and Bartica to cater for antenatal high-risk mothers.