The Ministry of Health on Sunday evening sought to defend the spending of over $200 million of public funds on health care for government officials by attacking the media houses that carried the reports.

In a statement the Ministry voiced  “its absolute consternation at the unethical and disingenuous exposure of private medical details, concerning selected government officials.”

According to the ministry, certain media outlets and personnel, in taking ‘cheap shots’ for political mileage, “have revealed not only their political biases, but also an insensitive and inimical culture of journalism, towards the Government of Guyana and the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C).”

Documents compiled by the Ministry of Health and dispatched to media houses revealed government spending on medical assistance for the years 2012-2013.  While the total bill covering all of government’s assistance reached $361 Million, more than half of that amount went to providing medical assistance to government officials.

The Ministry of Health in its statement said  it should be emphasized that the Ministry “embraces and practices a policy, to render assistance indiscriminately and in a holistic manner, depending upon the nature of the medical condition and the financial needs of those seeking to obtain same.”

But according to a document put together by the Ministry of Health detailing government medical assistance, Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukai enjoyed government assistance of $2.1 million for dental work. She made a number of visits to her dentist.

Minister of Human Services Jennifer Webster now has a brighter smile thanks to the taxpayers of Guyana who forked out over $1.3 Million to cover her dental expenses.

The Prime Minister’s wife racked up charges of over $700,000 for her dental work and that too was covered by the government while her husband, Prime Minister Sam Hinds must be taking good care of his teeth since his dental bill was just over $24,000.  Over $4 Million was spent in dental work for government officials during 2012 and 2013.

The document also reveals that the government spent over $116 Million in cancer treatment for late Presidential Advisor Navin Chandarpal during the same period. Mr. Chandarpal’s bills were racked up in Trinidad and Tobago and the United States on at least four occasions.

He died from the disease in 2014.

Additionally other government officials ran up hefty bills worth over $75 Million for other medical expenses and procedures. Some of those costs were detailed and others were not.

The government spent over $4 Million for “medical intervention” for the Attorney General. No details are provided for his condition. However, over $12 Million was spent for heart tests and surgery for Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture Alli Baksh. The Finance Minister and his wife had medical bills of over $3 Million covered by the Ministry of Health while Agriculture Minister Leslie Ramsammy ran up bills of over $1 Million.

Other government officials and some of their families ran up bills for heart tests and other medical procedures.  Of all the money spent by the government  in offering medical assistance, government officials accounted for more than half of the costs.

The opposition parties have always raised concern about excess in government spending. The document only reveals spending for 2012 and 2013. It’s unclear how much more was spent to keep some government officials smiling in 2014.

Filed: 1st March 2015

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