This year government will be spending about $2.5B for the procurement of drugs and medical supplies.
According to a press release, Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy said over the years Guyana has developed a very proficient system for the procurement and distribution of goods and medical supplies. “Government has been allocating more and more money annually for the procurement of medicine and medical supplies because we are cognizant that adequate supplies of drugs and (an) effective chain supply system, meaning that drugs have to reach all health facilities on time, are two very important aspects for proper health care delivery,” the minister said.
People don’t often realise that effective health care delivery does not only mean having enough medical staff but also equipping them with the necessary tools to work with, Ramsammy added. “Health-care workers have been trained to change their gloves after every patient and to change the syringes after every use. We never in Guyana reuse a syringe so you can imagine the number of syringes that is used in the sector, it is enormous and it is not just for injection of medicines” but also to retrieve blood specimens for laboratory work, he explained.
According to Ramsammy Guyana has one of the most modern patient care and safety systems in place at health care facilities countrywide. He said Guyana is an example to other countries which are beneficiaries of the President’s Plan for Emergency AIDS Relief as it has been able to develop an excellent procurement, distribution and shortage system. “For the first time goods and medicines such as vaccines are stored in a cold storage facility,” he said, adding that it is fully computerized which also allows for timely procurement of new supplies.
In addition to the money government has allocated for the procurement of goods, the health sector is also benefiting from HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria grants. “I think Guyanese need to reflect a little because back in 1991, Guyana spent less than $100M on medical supplies, today we have increased that to about $2B,” Ramsammy said.
