General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis on Wednesday called on authorities to use some of the monies coming from the oil and gas sector to revamp the country’s healthcare system and provide free education.
Speaking to hundreds of workers at the annual Labour Day Rally held at the National Park in Guyana’s capital, Georgetown, he said, “All ten administrative regions should have a main referral hospital with modern diagnostic and treatment capabilities, including emergency facilities, capable of dealing with severe injuries.”
With the first stream of revenues from oil production just months away, Lewis also suggested the introduction of free dialysis treatment services, which is a procedure that performs many of the normal duties of the kidneys, like filtering waste products from the blood, when the kidneys no longer work.
Currently in Guyana, dialysis cost approximately US$60 per session and is usually administered two or three times per week to patients. With minimum wage in the South American country hovering just above US$300 per month, dialysis treatment can be unaffordable for some.
The veteran trade unionist called too for the provision of free education from nursery to university. “Take some of the money you will get from oil and go to the National Assembly and make a plan. We want free education. We want an educated nation,” he told those gathered.
Lincoln Lewis is absolutely correct in prioritizing education and health care as top two social necessities for the Guyanese people. The Govt would be wise to adopt these measures as a matter of urgency.