Health Care, Disease Control, Crime and Safety in Guyana

Guyana pays attention to its people’s health concerns, and health service is primarily provided by the government. Public health service in the country comes in 5 different levels:

Level 1: Local Health Posts. There are 166 Local Health Posts in the country providing simple and preventive cure for common diseases and promoting the right health practices. These facilities are manned by Community Health Workers who are either volunteers or paid.

Level 2: Health Centers. There are 109 health centers throughout the country providing rehabilitative and preventive cure for illnesses. These are manned by a public health nurse with a nursing assistant, dental nurse, and a midwife.

Level 3: District Hospitals: These hospitals, 19 of which in the country, with 473 beds, provide inpatient and outpatient care. They also give selected diagnostic services and simple radiological and laboratory services. They also provide preventive dental care.

Level 4: Regional Hospitals: There are 4 regional hospitals with 620 beds in Guyana, providing emergency services, ob-gyne care, surgery, dental services, diagnostic and specialist services in general medicine, and laboratory and radiology facilities. They also have pharmacies.

Level 5: National Referral Hospital: Located in Guyana’s capital, Georgetown, the National Referral Hospital has 937 beds which cater to every citizen of Guyana. It has the widest range of health services a health facility can offer.

Having 5 levels of health service and making use of a referral system means patients need to be seen first in the lowest level of health facility before they can be referred to the next level of health service when appropriate or when needed. Meaning, one cannot go directly to the district hospital without having himself checked in the local health posts.