Opposition Member of Parliament, Volda Lawrence has called out the Government for its management of the Health sector, which has seen over $5.9 Billion in expired drugs and medications being dumped over the past two years.

MP Lawrence, who served as Minister of Health under the APNU+AFC Administration, said after it took office in 2020, the current Government complained bitterly about the $742M in expired items it inherited.

She said there is absolute silence now that it has found itself dumping billions of dollars in drugs that it procured.

“The Auditor General said for the period January 2022 to June 2024, just two and a half years, Guyana throw away some $5.974B in expired drugs. In four months sir, between January to April 2022, $413.3M in drugs were thrown away. For the year, 2023 $1.306B were thrown away. From January to June, 2024, six months in 2024, that’s last year, meh boy up he game to $1.923B, six months. And sir at June, that very June, they had on hand for disposal $2.332B.,” MP Lawrence pointed out. 

MP Lawrence argued further that when overpayments and disposable drugs are added, some $9.413B has been wasted.

“Mind you Sir, this amount of $9.413 Billion only represents two areas of the entire budget. I’m calling for investment in drugs and medical supplies to be quantified and managed correctly,” the Opposition MP urged.

MP Lawrence expressed the hope that steps would be taken to fast track the digitalization of the health sector systems to prevent or minimize wastage.

In the interim, she said the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, may want to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) like the USA, UK, Spain, Italy and endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), to provide data faster and more accurately.

Earlier in her contribution to the House, the Opposition MP said the Government will soon engage in a “spending spree” at a time when Guyanese are living pay-check-to-pay check with 48% living in poverty.

She said while the budget includes a number of “piecemeal measures,” those measures are wholly inadequate, and would bring little benefit to the people of Guyana.

Citing the issuance of the one-off $100,000 cash grant, MP Lawrence said the grant would only temporarily fill the empty purses of Guyanese.

“That Mr. Speaker is the reality; Budget 2025 is putting a large bandage over a festering sore.  This purulent sore to which I am alluding is the inescapable poverty besetting about 50% of our nation; and I want to elaborate, Mr. Speaker, on the stranglehold in which the ordinary people of Guyana are caught and which Budget 2025 has not effectively and adequately addressed,” she said.

The Opposition MP said while the $5,000 increase on Old Age Pension, and the $3,000 increase in Public Assistance are steps in the right direction, those increases will have little to no effect on the lives of many of the pensioners, especially those who have no other source of income. 

“The cost of living is exorbitant and so are healthcare costs and other miscellaneous expenses which daily encumber the pockets of our elderly. Budget 2025 is themed ‘improving the lives of Guyanese’ but alas, Minister, the well-being of our pensioners is being eroded as they grapple with the stark realities of not having enough to offset the tentacles of poverty,” MP Lawrence said.

To cushion the steep rise in cost of living, MP Lawrence suggested that housing for the very poor be subsidized and other measures be put in place to bring ease to the people.

She also made a case for the age requirement for Old Age Pension to be lowered to assist older persons who experience severe health conditions in their older years.

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Auditor General finds over $5 Billion in expired drugs and supplies to be dumped by Health Ministry Almost $1 Billion worth of drugs and medical supplies left spoiled and expired between 2015 and 2018 -Audit report finds Health Ministry forced to dump over $10 Billion in expired medicines -Health Minister Opposition MP blasts Public Health Ministry over “undelivered” drugs and shortages