The $386 million project being funded by Global Affairs Canada to improve maternal and neonatal care in Guyana’s hinterland regions will be bridging a critical gap in the healthcare sector for rural areas, according to Dr Narendra Singh, a professor at McMaster University.
The project was launched on Tuesday by the Canadian High Commission to Guyana. It will be executed by the McMaster University and will last for five years. The main objective of the project is to reduce mortality rates among women of childbearing age, newborns and children under five years old in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.
During brief remarks at the launch, Singh noted that due to the “gross discrepancy” between rural and urban areas in Guyana, a baby born in Lethem does not have the same chance of survival as one born at the Georgetown Public Hospital.