Agreements signed to improve eye care, other services

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Malcolm Watkins, and representatives of local medical facilities today signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the $10,000 Universal Health Care Voucher programme, which was announced in the 2025 budget.

This voucher caters for everyone, both adults and children, and allows for early screening tests of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.

Watkins pointed out that 500,000 people across the nation will benefit from this initiative. This programme represents a $5 billion investment in the health and well-being of the population and aligns with the government’s push for universal healthcare coverage.

Also signed today were the MoUs for the relaunch of the eye care and cervical cancer/Human Papillomavirus (HPV) screening voucher programmes. According to the Permanent Secretary, both of these MoUs were updated from 2024.

The eye care voucher programme provides a $2,000 voucher towards the cost of an eye test for children in schools and pensioners. This initiative aims to identify any vision-related issues early on, ensuring timely intervention and care.

Those requiring spectacles are also provided with a $15,000 voucher to offset the cost of their eyeglasses.

Meanwhile, the cervical cancer/HPV screening voucher allows women aged 21-65 to claim vouchers valued at GY$8,000 and get screened at any of the sites approved by the Ministry.

In 2018, an estimated 570,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide, and about 311,000 women died from the disease.

All of the vouchers carry a one-year lifespan and must be utilised before the end of the year. All three programmes will be launched soon.