….says appointees lack skills to develop region
APNU+AFC Member of Parliament representing Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice) Hon Vinceroy Jordan on Wednesday charged that the PPPC appointees in charge of the Region lack the administrative and political skills required for development of the Region.
“And to make matters worse” , he added, “these appointees are at the same time showing blatant disregard for accountability with respect to the use of tax payers’ dollars entrusted to them.”
In his presentation to the Budget 2021 debate Mr. Jordan said: “The message of the people of Region 5 to this Parliament is that this budget takes them from prosperity to poverty, from a good life to a fight to survive, from equity and transparency to disparity, from fear of dying of covid-19 to that of dying from the pressures of the PPP/C.”
In his presentation Mr Jordan dealt at length with what he described as instances of relapse in services in the Region in areas including public health, agriculture, education , human and social services, public security and youth development.
He was particularly scathing in relation to what he described as the deterioration of the public health service in the Region.
He told the House that Region’s health sector is seemingly heading in a downhill trajectory .
He said: “In Region 5 residents are grappling with two major drug shortages in a mere six months.”
“None of the health care facilities has the basic essential drugs needed for the day-to-day service to the people.”
“At the two major health institutions within the Region,the X-ray machines are all down.”
He said additionally that the Regional Administration failed to accomplish its targeted efforts in the 2020 budget in health care.
“They budgeted to purchase two (2) new ambulances but to date, none has materialized for services to the people of Region #5.”
Surprisingly, he added, in this 2021 budget, the sum of over $18 million is budgeted to facilitate the purchase of yet another ambulance.
He said that two (2) new incinerators were budgeted for in the 2020 estimates for the Fort Wellington and Mahaicony hospitals to the tune of over $26 million; but again no work has been done even on the sites proposed to house these units.
Shockingly 2021 estimates now caters for an additional four (4) incinerator to be constructed at health facilities across region #5.
He said that the Coalition Government during its five years in office, had delivered in all the areas necessary for improving the quality of life of the citizens of Region 5.
“Public Health, Agriculture, Education, Human and Social Services, Public security, sports and culture and youth development …in all these areas, you name it we delivered.”
Jordan stated that the theme of the PPPC 2021 Budget : “A Path to Recovery, Economic Dynamism and Resilience” should be changed to “A Path to ultimate relapse, economic depression and vulnerability”. (END)
