With Vision 20/20 as one of its primary focuses, the local health sector is poised to incorporate lessons learnt while at the same time consolidate the gains made over the past five years, a process that will be well supported with its $19.2 billion budgetary allocation.In his budget 2013 speech on Monday Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, noted that the sizeable sum will help the health sector advance development of its new strategic plan and thereby aid efforts to achieve universal health coverage using a primary health care approach.Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni SinghTowards this objective,Cheap NFL Jerseys, more than $2.3 billion has been allocated for the construction,Jerseys NFL Cheap, rehabilitation and maintenance of health infrastructure countrywide of which $1.3 billion has been budgeted for the state-of-the-art specialty surgical hospital and the Port Kaituma District Hospital, disclosed Dr. Singh.Further, he informed that in an effort to improve the supply chain management system a new pharmaceutical and medical warehouse equipped with necessary software was commissioned earlier this year. This, he noted, is expected to result in a more efficient distribution network for drugs and medical supplies.From the allotted health sector budget over $369 million has been budgeted for human resource development to enhance the competency of health officials. And according to Dr. Singh, the system will benefit from the return of a further 278 Cuban trained doctors who will be deployed countrywide.In the context of specialised care, Dr. Singh emphasized that the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), in collaboration with overseas universities, is currently offering post graduate programmes in gynaecology, orthopaedics, internal medicine, paediatrics, emergency medicine, anaesthesiology and surgery.High on the agendaWhile the provision of health care in its entirety is a very crucial undertaking,Sale NFL Jerseys, Minister Singh emphatically underscored that maternal health is a top priority on Government’s health care agenda.This, he said, will be done with a view of advancing progress towards the reduction of maternal mortality and under-five mortality.Earlier this month, national consultations were held to develop an action plan towards eliminating the current bottlenecks in the provision of quality maternal health care services as part of the Millennium Development Goal Acceleration Framework process.The under-five mortality concerns are being addressed with, among other things, a neonatal intensive care unit which is being established at the GPHC with support from an overseas-based partner and will be expanded through the same joint public private initiative in Linden and West Demerara, said the Finance Minister.Battling diseasesIn an effort to intensify the fight against malaria, Government has budgeted for the procurement and distribution of over 6,000 long lasting insecticide treated bed nets for hinterland communities primarily in mining areas.However, it has been recognized that chronic non-communicable diseases now present a particular challenge for Guyana and the world as “we overcome infectious diseases of previous times,” added Dr. Singh.These, according to him,Jerseys From China, include cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, diabetes,Cheap Hurricanes Jerseys, cancers and chronic pulmonary diseases.”He said that lifestyle changes, especially in diet and an emerging sedentary habit, the use of tobacco and abuse of alcohol, have contributed significantly to the shift from communicable diseases.He added that budget allocations within the health sector will increasingly target addressing this shift.Emphasising commitmentGovernment, Dr. Singh declared during his three-hour long budget speech, remains committed to ensuring that “our citizens have access to high quality health care services.” To this end, he said that over $17 billion was expended in 2012, the final year of the National Health Strategic Plan 2008-2012.A total of $1 billion was spent to expand, upgrade and maintain the infrastructural facilities of the sector, including to fund a mobilisation payment for the state-of-the-art specialty surgical hospital at Liliendaal which will afford Guyanese the opportunity to access specialised health care services,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, upgrade of the National Psychiatric Hospital and Georgetown School of Nursing, and construction of the Port Mourant Health Centre.Last year, $335 million was spent on training public health personnel to meet the growing demand for both basic and specialised services.Further, the sector benefited from the return of another batch of 21 new Cuban-t