Efforts to enhance healthcare services across Guyana are extending to better accommodation for healthcare workers in the hinterland regions. Hinterland Health Coordinator Michael Gouveia provided an update on the progress being made in Region Eight.
Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, had earlier allocated an additional $100 million to each Regional Health Office to address staff accommodation. Subsequently, renovation and construction work commenced across the country, including in Region Eight.
Gouveia detailed the ongoing efforts, stating, “We are renovating apartments that are assigned to the health department of the region, we’re building new facilities where necessary. Right now we are building two doctors’ quarters and a pharmacy and laboratory personnel quarter here in Mahdia, and also in other parts of the region we are also building accommodation.”
Consideration is being given to the families of healthcare workers in providing accommodation. Most of the available accommodations are self-contained two-bedroom facilities designed to offer comfort to medical staff.
Gouveia emphasized, “We recognize that nurses, doctors, and everyone have families. And we want to ensure that that part of their lives is comfortable, so the accommodation that we are doing now is accommodation to facilitate family, even if you’re a single person.”
The government’s commitment to improving healthcare services includes upgrading facilities, expanding training opportunities, and providing necessary medical equipment, among other initiatives.