In `The Berbice Regional Health Authority is an Illegal… says Health Minister (KN 6/6/2015) the Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, is reported as stating that the Berbice Regional Health Authority is illegal but receiving government funding. The board of the authority was established in 2005 and since the effort to regionalise the health system began as far back as 1997/1998, all of this is irregular and quite unfortunate. (Health Sector Reform, Ministry of Health Concept Paper, January, 1998. The Establishment of Regional Health Authorities in Guyana, Health Planning Unit, Ministry of Health, Guyana, April, 1998).
However, what is interesting to me is the minister’s commitment to look at the legislation again and his optimism that the body will function effectively once given legal authority and the necessary personnel. For, according to him, ‘you can have the best system in place, but if you don’t have
