Third payout for dialysis assistance being rolled out

Overthe next few days, 105 hemodialysis patients will receive cheques valued at $600,000 each, to help subsidise their treatment expenses, as the Government of Guyana rolls out the third dialysis treatment initiative payout for 2023. Of the 105 beneficiaries, 51 are new patients.

The third payout exercise of $63 million, commenced Wednesday (May 3, 2023) at the Ministry of Health on Brickdam, Stabroek. The first payout for this year was executed in February when 84 patients benefitted while the second was done in April when 62 persons benefitted.

The administration has allocated $863 million in Budget 2023 to support those in need of medical treatment.

During Wednesday’s exercise, Dr Frank Anthony, Minister of Health spent time interacting with some of the beneficiaries and lending words of support to persons suffering from kidney failure, who require dialysis, a much-needed treatment for the management of their condition. “Today we are giving 105 persons a cheque of $600,000 each to help them with their dialysis session; so for this year already, 297 persons have benefited from this annual subvention,” the minister said.

While appealing to the general public to get registered if they require dialysis support, the Minister indicated that the process is very simple but requires verification and assessment of the patient’s condition at the Nephrology Department at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

“Once the doctor determines you have end-stage renal failure, he issues a letter to that effect which is verified by our physicians at the GPHC. A request is then prepared and the necessary documentation is prepared and presented to the Ministry of Health to get to process started”, Dr Anthony explained.

The Health Minister highlighted that through close collaboration with pri-