Free Dialysis Reaches Six Regional Hospitals

By Mark DaCosta- For many Guyanese families, kidney failure brings a double ordeal: a life-altering diagnosis followed by the financial strain, long journeys and recurring medical demands of keeping a loved one alive. The Ministry of Health’s announcement that dialysis is now available at no cost at six regional hospitals—Lima, Diamond, Bath, No. 75, De Kinderen and Enmore—is therefore a welcome development for patients who depend on the treatment to survive.

However, access to healthcare is a right in Guyana, not a privilege, and the provision of free dialysis must be viewed against the seriousness of kidney disease and the country’s considerable oil wealth. While the expansion of services offers relief to affected families, the announcement is belated given the potentially devastating consequences of kidney failure and the financial and geographical barriers patients have faced in accessing treatment.

In a country generating substantial petroleum revenues, the public is entitled to expect that essential, life-sustaining services such as dialysis will be made accessible, affordable and available without unnecessary delays. The announcement should therefore mark not the end of the conversation, but a step towards ensuring that every patient who needs dialysis can obtain it reliably, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay.