Blog 9
Guyana
From as far back as the 1990s the government of Guyana has taken the decision to promote primary universal health care as the most effective investment and the mechanism for promoting good health and reducing the spread of disease and illness. Guyana believes that public healthcare is a priority that must be provided fairly to all citizens regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or lifestyle (UN, 2019.)
Implementation and Monitoring of SDG 3
Over the past decades, the Co-operative Republic of Guyana has prioritized sustainability and development. The country adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040 (GSDS), which is Guyana’s long-term development strategy that sets a framework for a ‘green agenda’ within safe and secure borders that emphasizes the need for resilient development for all its citizens. The goal of the GSDS is to deliver quality education and healthcare, social protection, new economic opportunities, justice, and political empowerment while protecting the natural environment. (UN, 2019.)
To monitor the progress of the SDG 3 and GSDS, the National Statistical System works on building relevant capacities for data collection, analysis, and reporting. Capacities such as creating frequent national surveys to inform evidence-based policy, planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting (UN, 2019.)
Agenda Cost
Given Guyana’s socio-economic and geographical context, the country will need support and contribution to be able to have access to low-cost financing instruments. To be able to finance the development of the SDGs, the cooperation of the local private sector and different organizations, development partners, are needed. The UN Country Team, alongside traditional donors and other development partners, has been collaborating with Guyana in the implementation of the SDGs (Ministry of Finance, 2019.)
To improve overall health outcomes it is necessary to have effective management of medical supplies and qualified healthcare workers. Guyana has shown over the years that supply and staff management has been inadequate with reports of shortages across the country. Not having adequate supplies and qualified medical professionals contribute to the pressure on the public health system. As of now, the national referral hospital (Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation) is the only public medical facility that has the right equipment to treat high-risk patients. Having only one qualified hospital available becomes a problem for those seeking medical help that live far. They have to travel through a river flown by emergency charter flight. This can additionally cause overcrowding at the national referral hospital, added financial burden, and risk on patients (Ministry of Finance, 2019.)
According to WHO (2018), Guyana is in an epidemiological transition. Since 2004, non-communicable diseases are the major cause of morbidity and mortality. In 2015, non-communicable diseases accounted for 70% of all deaths, cerebrovascular disease (stroke) being the leading cause of death, followed by ischemic heart disease, neoplasms, diabetes, and hypertension. Communicable diseases such as influenza and pneumonia were among the 10 leading causes of death in Guyana. Other diseases such as HIV and Tuberculosis continue to be a major health issue in this country. In 2015, HIV cases increased compared to the year before. Another health issues include the high rates of maternal and infant mortality (Ministry of Finance, 2019.) In 2016, the maternal mortality rate was 121 per 1,000 live births and the infant mortality rate was 22 per 1,000 live births. Approximately 93% of deaths in children less than one year of age occurred in the neonatal period (IDB, 2016.)
Other health issues surround the topic of mental health. Mental health has become a national issue over the last few years. In 2017 Guyana ranked among the countries with the highest rates of suicide in the world at 24.6 per 100,000 population, which has lead to suicide being the third major cause of death in the 15 – 44 age group (Ministry of Finance, 2019.)
Addressed and Prioritized
His Excellency Brigadier David Granger, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, has stated that Guyana has prioritized the improvement of public institutions, public education, and citizens’ quality of life and health. To help improve the health of the people, Guyana prioritized the SDGs that are relevant to accelerating social and economic development. The 2030 Agenda and Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040 are programs that aim to ensure the health and well being of all individuals (Ministry of Finance, 2019.)
References
Inter American Development Bank. (2019). Guyana to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates with IDB support. https://www.iadb.org/en/news/guyana-reduce-maternal-and-infant-mortality-rates-idb-support
United Nations. (2019). Guyana: Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/memberstates/guyana
Ministry of Finance. (2019). GUYANA First Voluntary National Review High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.https://finance.gov.gy/publications/7498/
World Health Organization. (2019.) Guyana - World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/136882/ccsbrief_guy_en.pdf;jsessionid=582DFA880C31D88821021E9F9416D6E2?sequence=1
Wikipedia. (n.d.) [Flag map of Guyana.] [Photograph.] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag-map_of_Guyana.svg
Hello Clincis,
ReplyDeleteAfter taking this class and several other courses, I have realized that non-communicable disease is a major problem that most countries suffer from. Except for the recent COVID-19 outbreak, infectious disease has declined overall, meaning that chronic disease is the new threat to our communities. I have learned from taking my Health Education class that changing an unhealthy lifestyle or habit is very hard and takes commitment to see success. I believe that health education specialists will play an important role in countries like Guyana, as they can target the young population to teach them about healthy habits at an early age. It is unfortunate that 70% of all deaths in this country are caused by chronic disease because I think that most of it could have been prevented if Health Education were implemented a few decades earlier. Guyana is not an exception, even more developed countries like the United States suffer largely from non-communicable disease. For the next generation to be healthier, all countries must learn from their mistakes and implement more health education programs in schools so that young children can set healthy habits at a young age.