Hinterland health services, child screening in focus at Budget Debate

Parliamentarians zeroed in on the healthcare sector as the 2026 Budget Debate continued on Wednesday night, clashing on expanded health services for children and across the hinterland.

Dr. Ryan Richards of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) opposition told the House that access to quality healthcare services remains a challenge for residents of hinterland and rural communities across the country, despite increased allocations for the health sector each year.

He said, “Healthcare is not only a privilege for those who live in Georgetown.”

That point was addressed by the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, who chronicled the expansion of healthcare services over the last few years. He said the government has made huge investments that brought crucial health services closer to citizens everywhere.

He said new hospitals and health facilities have been established, bringing proper care to communities across the country. The government has been embracing technology too, with telemedicine playing a huge role in supporting outlying communities.

Additionally, Dr. Anthony said one game-changing initiative has been the establishment of maternal waiting homes.  For many years, women in remote areas faced the significant challenge of travelling long distances to access hospital care during pregnancy and childbirth. With these homes, however, they have a safe place to stay before giving birth.

Not only has access to healthcare expanded across the country, Dr. Anthony argued, but costly procedures once sought overseas are now available in Guyana. Those procedures include biopsies, other specialised tests, and surgeries.

Moreover, the Health Minister said primary healthcare has been improved. By prioritising this, health authorities are detecting any health issues much earlier and responding as needed much faster.

An example of this, Dr. Anthony said, is that more than 55,000 primary school children were screened for various health issues. Another 6,508 secondary school students have been screened, highlighting the government’s focus on ensuring children are healthy.

Though acknowledging that more investments in the sector are necessary, the Health Minister affirmed that Budget 2026 helps the government achieve its goal of “putting people first.”

When presenting the $1.558 trillion national budget last week, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh unveiled the government’s plans to continue bringing specialised healthcare services to Guyana, noting that substantial sums will go towards the construction of a new facility to treat brain injuries and another to care for cancer patients.

Dr. Singh told lawmakers that $1.1 billion has been allocated for the construction of a new neurological rehabilitation centre for specialised clinical care and long-term management of brain injuries such as strokes and head and spinal cord injuries, and a modern oncology centre for cancer patients.

Overall, $161.1 billion has been allocated to the health sector.