By The Rio Times | Created at 2026-09-19 11:21:47 | Updated at 2026-09-19 12:37:36
1 hour ago
Guyana · Economy
Key Facts
- —What happened The government expended G$58.6 billion (about US$281.1 million) on health in the first half of 2026.
- —What the itemised total shows More than G$50 billion (about US$239.8 million) of listed investments in drugs, buildings, equipment and training.
- —The biggest line Drugs and medical supplies took G$17.2 billion (about US$82.5 million), far more than any other item.
- —The catch That is only 36.4% of the full-year health allocation of G$161.1 billion (about US$772.7 million).
- —Who is in charge Dr Frank Anthony has been Minister of Health since August 2020, and was reappointed after the 2025 election.
- —Why it matters Health takes about 10.3% of a national budget that has grown 307% since 2021 on oil revenue.
A finance ministry report shows what six months of oil-funded health money actually bought. Most of it went on drugs, buildings and training.
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Guyana health spending reached G$58.6 billion (about US$281.1 million) in the first six months of 2026. The figure comes from the government’s mid-year report, produced by the Ministry of Finance.
More than G$50 billion (about US$239.8 million) of that is accounted for by itemised investments. Those cover drugs, buildings, equipment and staff training.
Guyana is a small South American country on the Caribbean coast. Oil revenue has transformed its public finances at remarkable speed.
Every Guyana dollar figure here is converted at G$208.50 to US$1. That is the Guyana Revenue Authority customs rate effective 1 September 2026.
What the money bought
Drugs and medical supplies took by far the largest share. A total of G$17.2 billion (about US$82.5 million) went on procuring them in the first half.
Expanding healthcare infrastructure absorbed more than G$2 billion (about US$9.6 million). Modernising medical equipment and inventory cost G$488.4 million (about US$2.34 million).
Professional development for healthcare workers took more than G$200 million (about US$959,000). Nursing schools and dormitories at New Amsterdam and Suddie accounted for G$226 million (about US$1.08 million).
Both nursing schools are expected to be finished in the second half of 2026.
Hospitals, clinics and telemedicine
Regional hospitals are under construction at Moruca, West Demerara, Bartica, Kato and Lethem. The 2026 budget list also includes New Amsterdam, according to the Department of Public Information.
Georgetown, the capital, is due a paediatric and maternity hospital. Polyclinics are listed for Campbellville and Industry, and a National Neurological Rehabilitation Centre is to begin construction later this year.
An oncology centre is planned. Five regional drug distribution centres are listed for Mabaruma, Onderneeming, Williamsburg, Lethem and Bamia.
Fifty new telemedicine sites were installed in Regions One, Two, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten. Seventy more are proposed for the second half of the year.
Voucher schemes reached large numbers of people. In the first half, 49,836 eye examinations were completed and more than 50,000 spectacle vouchers were issued.
How the half-year spend compares
Parliament allocated G$161.1 billion (about US$772.7 million) to health for 2026. The G$58.6 billion (about US$281.1 million) expended by the end of June is 36.4% of that.
The itemised investments behind the G$50 billion (about US$239.8 million) headline come to about 31% of the allocation. Under half the year’s money moved in the first half.
Guyana health spending this year was budgeted 17.9% above 2025, when the allocation was G$136.6 billion (about US$655.2 million). Health takes about 10.3% of the national budget.
Oil revenue behind the budget
The 2026 national budget is G$1.558 trillion (about US$7.47 billion). Dr Ashni Singh, the senior minister responsible for finance, presented it on Monday 26 January 2026.
That is 307% larger than the 2021 budget of G$383.1 billion (about US$1.84 billion). The difference is oil money.
G$495.1 billion (about US$2.37 billion) is to be withdrawn from the Natural Resource Fund, the country’s oil savings vehicle. That equals 31.8% of the budget and about 46.4% of current revenue.
Stabroek News, a Georgetown daily, wrote that less than half of current revenue in 2026 is budgeted to come from taxation. Just over half is financed through petroleum withdrawals and other non-tax inflows.
The International Monetary Fund said in July 2026 that oil output passed 900,000 barrels a day by the end of 2025. It put average annual growth at nearly 40% during 2023 and 2024.
For scale, the entire 2026 budget is smaller than the country’s 2025 export earnings of US$20.1 billion. Oil made up 88.4% of those exports.
Who runs the health ministry
Dr Frank Anthony is Minister of Health. He was appointed on 5 August 2020 by President Irfaan Ali, and reappointed after the election of 1 September 2025.
He has therefore run the ministry through the whole oil-funded expansion of the budget.
The half-year total sits in a finance ministry document rather than in a ministerial speech. Dr Anthony’s most recent public remarks concerned infectious disease.
“These investments will strengthen Guyana’s capacity to respond to emerging infectious diseases,” he said on 15 September 2026. Hepatitis C medicines are now obtainable for under US$100 per patient through the Pan American Health Organization.
Dr Singh framed the wider approach when he presented the budget in January. “Public investments in health, education, and housing are not expenses; they are the foundations of a more prosperous, secure society,” he said.
A separate speech on trade with China
Prime Minister Mark Phillips set out figures for trade with China at a reception. It marked the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which falls on 1 October.
The Jamaica Observer reported his remarks on 18 September 2026. The figures cover calendar year 2025 and have nothing to do with the health accounts.
Mr Phillips said two-way trade reached about US$1.8 billion, with exports to China at US$501 million. The Chinese Embassy has separately cited US$2.89 billion for bilateral trade that year.
Imports from China came to US$1.287 billion, making it the third largest source of imports. The underlying data comes from Guyana’s Bureau of Statistics.
What it means
Under half the year’s health money moved in the first six months. The remaining programme includes the neurological centre, seventy more telemedicine sites and two nursing schools.
Guyana health spending is rising because the oil account is paying for it. Whether the promised buildings open on schedule is the test that follows.
More: Guyana coverage, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Guyana health spending worth in US dollars?
The health budget absorbed G$58.6 billion (about US$281.1 million) in the first half of 2026. Within that, itemised investments came to more than G$50 billion (about US$239.8 million). The conversion uses the Guyana Revenue Authority customs rate of G$208.50 to US$1, effective 1 September 2026. No Guyanese government source published its own US dollar equivalent.
What did the money actually buy?
Drugs and medical supplies were the largest single line at G$17.2 billion, about US$82.5 million. More than G$2 billion (about US$9.6 million) went on expanding healthcare infrastructure. Smaller sums covered medical equipment and inventory, staff training, and nursing schools and dormitories at New Amsterdam and Suddie. Regional hospitals are also under construction at Moruca, West Demerara, Bartica, Kato and Lethem.
Who is Guyana’s health minister?
Dr Frank Anthony holds the post. He was appointed on 5 August 2020 by President Irfaan Ali, and reappointed after the 1 September 2025 election. He has therefore led the ministry throughout the oil-funded expansion of the budget. Speaking on 15 September 2026, he said new investments would strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to emerging infectious diseases.
Is the China trade figure part of the health total?
No. The two sets of numbers surfaced in the same week but describe different things. The health figures cover six months of 2026. The China figures came from Prime Minister Mark Phillips, speaking at a reception. They give two-way trade of about US$1.8 billion for the whole of calendar year 2025, drawn from Guyana’s Bureau of Statistics.
Sources: Guyana Chronicle on the mid-year health total, Department of Public Information on the 2026 health allocation, Kaieteur News on the rise over the 2025 allocation, Department of Public Information on the 2026 national budget, Stabroek News on taxation and non-tax inflows, the IMF assessment of oil output and growth, Demerara Waves on the health minister’s infectious-disease remarks, the Ministry of Health on its leadership, the Guyana Revenue Authority on the customs exchange rate, the Jamaica Observer on 2025 trade with China
