Budget 2025: $143.2B earmarked for ‘dramatic expansion’ of public health care
To enhance access to quality health care across the country, the government allotted $143.2 billion to the health sector.
Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh explained that the focus of the government is to rapidly expand access to health care, particularly in remote regions, by deploying modern technology, including telemedicine.
“We want to expand rapidly access, including in the interim, through the deployment of telemedicine capabilities even in our remotest communities,” he noted.
With a focus on building state-of-the-art health facilities, the Paediatric and Maternal Hospital at Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and several other regionals hospitals are set to be commissioned this year.
He added that these hospitals are already in advanced stages of construction. “Every week we see the Honourable Minister Frank Antony visiting one of these locations with his hard hat. Very soon he will take off his hard hat because he will be visiting completed hospitals […] The hard hat will be replaced with a pair of scissors to cut a ribbon and to commission these hospitals.”
As part of the budget, $28.1 billion has been allocated for the completion of training annexes in Suddie and New Amsterdam, as well as the construction of dormitories to support these training facilities.
“A sum of $852 million is budgeted for the construction of two dormitories for these complexes,” Dr. Singh confirmed. “We will design and construct a medicines regulatory laboratory, a national neurological rehabilitation centre, and a centre of excellence for cancer treatment for which a sum of $2.9 billion is budgeted,” the Finance Minister added.
The budget also includes investments in medical equipment and supplies, with $4.3 billion earmarked for the purchase of new medical equipment and $4.5 billion allocated for drugs and medical supplies.
“In 2024, $24.2 billion was spent, and in 2025 we will spend $28 billion,” Dr. Singh noted. “We have ramped up training, including online platforms like Coursera to deliver online training. We have graduated thousands of medical professionals, including nurses and nursing assistants,” he explained.
The government is also intensifying efforts to tackle chronic diseases, mental health challenges, and communicable diseases. Dr. Singh noted that over 90,000 people had already been screened for chronic diseases, surpassing the initial target.
“We anticipate screening 100,000 persons in 2025 for chronic diseases,” he said. Additionally, mental health services are being expanded with new legislation and the development of a National Mental Health Facility.
In addressing the growing burden of communicable diseases, such as malaria and HIV, Dr. Singh confirmed the government’s commitment to scaling up testing and treatment efforts. The 2025 Budget, he said, represents a holistic approach to public health, aiming to provide better care for all Guyanese.
