Amerindians are seizing all the training opportunities being offered, especially in the health sector.
This is reflected in more than half of the persons enrolling in the Nursing and Nursing Assistant training programme being Amerindians. The training is being offered to all Guyanese.
This disclosure was made on Saturday by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, whilst speaking to hundreds of residents in Moraikobai, Region Five.
“Today, more than 60 per cent of our nursing and nursing assistants’ intake are from our Amerindian brothers and sisters,” President Ali said.
This has been made possible because of the opportunities being presented to Amerindians, in riverine, far-flung and remote areas.
One of the participants of the Professional Nursing training is Anastasia Bonaparte, who will be graduating in 2026.
She is making the most of the opportunity presented.
“I’m so grateful that the government has given us the scholarship, the Amerindian people. You know we are the first people to be pleased in such a nursing programme is really, really inspiring. I am grateful and willing to serve Moraikobai,” the young woman said.
Back in April 2023, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony announced a major plan to have scores of trained nurses in the local health system by 2026.
“I can assure you that everyone interested in doing this now, we will have a space for you on this programme…Over a three-year period, we are hoping to attract at least 3,000 persons to come and do nursing with us,” the health minister stated.
Over 1,000 persons have already registered for the professional nursing training programme with hundreds to join this year.
At the same time, more than 900 persons are entering their final year in the Ministry of Health’s hybrid training programme. These opportunities in the health sector folds directly into the wider plan of the government to improve healthcare services across the country.
When these trainees graduate, they will support the major health infrastructures that are being built. Only on Friday, one of six state-of-the-art hospitals was commissioned in Enmore on the East Coast of Demerara.
That marked the completion of the second of six regional hospitals being erected. The first that was commissioned a few weeks back was the Diamond Regional Hospital.
President Ali would have announced on Friday that before the end of August, the government will commission “the regional hospitals at Bath, De Kindren, Number 75 Village and Lima.”
The government aims to increase the complement of healthcare workers with the requisite infrastructure and has been executing it well. (Department of Public Information)
