Cabinet last week approved the establishment of a steering committee to oversee the implementation of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) project to improve maternal and child health.
Speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said that the project, which is part of the government’s Environ-ment and Social Management Plan, is expected to be implemented in early 2017 and would run for a period of five years. “The project was developed to support and improve maternal and child health in Guyana out of concerns for the high maternal and infant mortality rates that are among the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Harmon said.
He further explained that the US$80 million IDB loan for the project will be spent on strengthening reproductive, maternal and neonatal health services, as well as the national healthcare network.
The steering committee will be chaired by a representative of Ministry of Public Health and include representatives from the ministries of the Presidency, Finance, Communities, and Indige-nous Peoples’ Affairs.
