Minister Dr. Anthony intervenes to have dismissed healthcare workers reinstated; pledges new opportunities for health sector employment
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — After reinstating nearly 30 terminated healthcare workers on Friday and revealing plans to expand local training for the healthcare sector on Sunday, the government of Guyana has this weekend shown notable support for its citizens and residents in the industry.
Healthcare workers have been uniquely challenged around the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Such support comes as healthcare workers in many parts of the world have become worn out over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic these last two years, with many saying they feel burnt out and unsupported in their roles.
In England, some of the industry’s employees have even been seeking to leave the profession.
Meanwhile, several Caribbean nations have had to engage international healthcare professionals to bolster local workforces that were inundated with more coronavirus cases than they could handle. Additionally, many healthcare teams faced dwindling resources as workers fell sick or even died due to the vicious pandemic.
Linden Hospital healthcare workers will not be sent home
The Linden Hospital Complex was made to reinstate 27 workers who were dismissed in April 2022.
Despite an “abnormally high” demand for healthcare workers during this unprecedented time, 27 Guyanese healthcare workers employed at the Linden Hospital Complex were dismissed last Thursday.
However, just one day later, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony said his ministry intervened to have those employees reinstated.
He advised, “The administration of the Linden hospital would have sent letters to about 27 persons who are working with the institution, telling them that they would no longer renew their contracts.
“When the ministry learnt about it, we reached out to the CEO and asked him to rescind the letters.
“So, as of last night, all those letters should’ve been rescinded.
“Nobody is going home; I just want to make sure that people understand that.”
The health minister also emphasized, “We’ll expect that the contracts for all those persons will be renewed and would be renewed for the usual duration.”
Bringing more workers onboard
Just days later, Dr. Anthony went on to announce plans in the pipeline for expanded education and training opportunities for healthcare workers, as well as “a wide range of career opportunities” to those keen to join the field.
“There are so many opportunities now in health,” he said, “and what we want to do is to guide people to make sure that they can take advantage of these opportunities within the ministry itself, and the training division that we have in the ministry.”
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