Dear Editor,
I write to make public my concern about the current crisis in our health sector.
Staff shortages
Our public health sector is collapsing under severe staffing shortages. Cuban doctors on direct contracts report being overworked, routinely working long hours because there are simply not enough local personnel to share the load. Reports from Diamond Hospital that outpatients cannot see a doctor after 3 p.m. illustrate the gravity of the staffing shortfall and its impact on patient access and care.
Delayed salaries
Several newly graduated Guyanese nurses have come forward saying they have still not received salaries months after graduation. Where previously waits of about three months were common (circa 2009), the delay now appears to be far longer, leaving new nurses without funds for transportation and basic needs. Cuban doctors, now on direct contracts with the Government of Guyana suffer a similar fate. However, these Cuban doctors are particularly vulnerable without local family support as a saftey net. The delays also prevent them from remitting desperately needed funds to their families in Cuba. Timely payment of salaries is not merely an employment issue, it is essential to retaining staff and ensuring continuity of care. The delays being experienced by our healthcare workers reflect nothing but incompetence.
Equipment failures
Diamond Hospital has reported repeated equipment failures that directly harm patients. One patient was given pre-operative injections only to have their surgery postponed because equipment failed. Such incidents undermine patient trust, delay treatment, and increase risk. Equipment maintenance, timely repairs, and replacement of obsolete devices must be prioritised.
Call to action
These problems are interconnected. Delays in pay, inadequate staffing and failing equipment are eroding service delivery and endangering patients. I call on the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance to urgently:
1) Ensure immediate payment of all outstanding salaries and implement measures to guarantee timely future payrolls.
2) Accelerate recruitment and retention efforts, including support for contracted foreign medical staff, to restore safe staffing levels.
3) Allocate emergency funds for critical equipment repairs, maintenance and replacements.
Our healthcare workers and patients deserve better. Addressing these issues now will prevent further deterioration of health services and save lives.
Yours truly,
Terrence Campbell, M.P.
