Georgetown, Guyana (January 22, 2025) –His Excellency President Dr Irfaan Ali announced that a new minimum standard for quality of service at community health centres and schools has been agreed upon and will soon be implemented across the country. The announcement followed a full day of frank and open discussions with Regional Executive Officers, Regional Health Officers, and Regional Education Officers from the respective Administrative Regions at the Office of the President on Tuesday.
The new standard is geared towards easing the bureaucratic burden on ordinary Guyanese by reducing the cost of accessing services, enhancing the quality of care, and improving services within communities.
President Ali said that the measures are in line with his Government’s “commitment to ensuring quality service to the Guyanese people… we want every member of our population to have access to world-class health care and world-class education.”
The meeting, he noted, was focused on “finding the formula that will fix existing issues and inefficiencies in the system, whether it’s small issues like washroom sanitation, issues within health centres, health outposts, schools, or structural issues.”
According to President Ali, the improvement of services at a community level must be a cornerstone of the nation’s development. He said that the quality of services needs to be on par with the billions of dollars invested yearly in schools, health centres, and other public offices.
“We want to reduce the costs of people receiving Government services, reduce the time it takes them to receive Government services, and improve the quality and delivery of that service. This means being more direct, more approachable, creating a more customer-oriented environment, and ensuring that all the investments we are making deliver at the optimum level.”
He said that health centres should be able to service the community beyond a first visit or regular check-ups and announced that patients will now be able to have refills for three months instead of on a monthly basis.
To achieve this vision, there will be a decentralisation of the management of medical supplies to all regions. Health centres will create a register of permanent patients and generate a demand list of medication. Through the system, they will be able to request the supply of medications needed.
“We will decentralise the delivery of medical supplies in the regions themselves, so that in the regions, they will have their entire year’s supply, and through an electronic platform, the daily use will be managed and reconciled,” the President said.
To ensure the standards are maintained and improved, the President also disclosed that a quality assurance body will be in place to monitor and provide oversight.
Acknowledging the challenges within the existing system, such as staff shortages and abuse of medical leave, the President said stringent measures will be implemented to hold persons accountable.
In addition, to alleviate concerns and questions relating to welfare assistance and other governmental services, a citizen desk will be established at all NeighbourhoodDemocratic Councils and Municipalities to ensure citizens have access to information.
