Health care reform in Guyana

Abstract

The paper is an overview of the Guyana health care system, its outcomes, health planning, health reforms, potential health reforms, and the government’s contribution, guiding the development of an efficient and equitable health system for the entire population. The current institutional arrangements for health systems and services development in Guyana pose significant challenges requiring significant health planning to achieve significant health reforms. The Health Systems Assessment (HSA) reviewed the Guyana health care system functions on six modules consistent with the WHO’s system building blocks - governance, health financing, service delivery, human resources for health (HRH), pharmaceutical management, and health information systems (HIS) – which are in synchrony with the WHO’s concept of reform. The HSA review identified areas for health reform through the WHO’s system building blocks. The paper reviewed the health plans and reforms in Guyana to establish the influence of neoliberalism in the pathway toward universal health coverage and equity.