Blog

Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL), in collaboration with the Public Utilities and Aviation Ministry, has intensified efforts to tackle electricity theft, with more than 220 illegal connections removed during a three-day exercise across several communities.
The exercise, conducted by GPL’s Loss Reduction Department, targeted areas including Eccles, Diamond Phase Three, Little Diamond and sections of Sophia. The illegal connections removed represented approximately one megawatt (MW) of electricity.
GPL said the unauthorised connections place additional pressure on transformers, feeders and other critical components of the electricity network, contributing to system overloads, equipment failures and power disruptions.
The company also warned that illegal connections pose serious safety risks to residents, GPL employees and emergency responders, including the risk of electrocution and electrical fires.
In separate exercises conducted in Sophia and Little Diamond, GPL teams identified and removed illegal connections from the network.
GPL said electricity theft is a criminal offence and persons found engaging in the practice will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The company is urging persons with unauthorised connections to visit GPL to regularise their electricity service.
Members of the public are also encouraged to report suspected electricity theft by calling 226-2600, toll-free on 0475, or via WhatsApp at 699-4882.
The ministry and GPL said loss-reduction exercises will continue in communities across the country as part of efforts to improve the efficiency, reliability and safety of the electricity system.

The post GPL cuts over 220 illegal connections in electricity theft crackdown appeared first on Guyana Times.

The expansion of Guyana’s public healthcare infrastructure is one of the more consequential investments in the country’s development. The opening of six new regional hospitals has demonstrated that improving healthcare delivery requires bringing modern services closer to communities, expanding diagnostic capacity, strengthening specialist care and reducing the time patients spend waiting for treatment.
The Diamond, Enmore, Bath, Number 75 Village, De Kinderen and Lima Regional Hospitals have collectively handled more than 145,000 outpatient visits since becoming operational last year. The figures presented by President Dr Irfaan Ali provide a useful measure of the demand for, and utilisation of, the expanded healthcare network.
More than 18,500 inpatient admissions, approximately 3700 surgeries and over one million laboratory tests have been recorded across the six facilities. The hospitals have also conducted approximately 82,200 X-rays, 37,700 ultrasounds and 13,680 CT scans. More than 101, 000 specialist clinic attendances and approximately 2400 deliveries further demonstrate the breadth of services now available outside the traditional concentration of major healthcare facilities in Georgetown.
A facility becomes meaningful when patients can obtain treatment, diagnostic services, specialist consultations, medication and emergency care without having to travel long distances or depend exclusively on the capital’s healthcare system.
The reported waiting times are particularly significant. An average emergency-care waiting time of approximately 10 minutes and an outpatient waiting time of about 30 minutes, if sustained consistently, would represent an important improvement in the patient experience. Efficiency in emergency care can have direct consequences for patient outcomes, while shorter outpatient waiting times can improve access and reduce pressure on both patients and medical personnel.
The performance of individual hospitals also illustrates the scale of the new network. Diamond Regional Hospital has recorded the highest inpatient and surgical workload, with 4705 admissions and 967 surgeries, while Enmore has registered 36,670 outpatient visits and 21, 131 X-rays. Number 75 has completed more than 351,000 laboratory tests, while Lima has conducted more than 289,000. De Kinderen has recorded 8760 ultrasounds and 61,700 laboratory tests, and Bath has provided 25,601 outpatient consultations, 58,755 laboratory tests and 11, 024 X-rays.
Such activity reinforces an important principle; healthcare infrastructure must be distributed according to population needs and supported by the human resources and technology required to make those investments productive.
At the same time, the positive performance should not lead to complacency. The acknowledgement that challenges remain within the healthcare system is important. New buildings and modern equipment cannot, by themselves, guarantee high-quality healthcare. Sustained investment in doctors, nurses, technicians, administrative personnel, maintenance, medicines, supplies and continuous professional development will determine whether the current gains are preserved.
The next phase of healthcare expansion, therefore, deserves close attention. Construction is progressing at hospitals in Moruca, Kato, Lethem and West Demerara, while the Bartica Hospital remains at the design stage. These projects should be pursued with the same emphasis on quality, accessibility, and operational readiness.
The delays affecting the Maternal and Paediatric Hospital and the new New Amsterdam Hospital complex, reportedly because of arbitration proceedings at the International Chamber of Commerce, also require continued attention. Major public healthcare projects carry significant implications for patients and communities, and every effort should be made to resolve obstacles while safeguarding public resources and contractual integrity.
The vision of a nationwide, modern healthcare system is also worthy of support as digitised medical records, artificial intelligence and telemedicine can improve coordination, reduce duplication, strengthen diagnosis and extend specialist expertise to communities where such services may not otherwise be readily available.
The ultimate measure of healthcare investment, however, will be the quality, accessibility, efficiency and reliability of care received by patients.
The six regional hospitals provide evidence that substantial progress is possible. Maintaining that progress will require disciplined management, sustained investment, and a focus on patient care.

The post Consequential investments & modern services closer to communities appeared first on Guyana Times.

The Guyana Cup Post position draw, earlier this week, has brought a lot of insight into next Sunday’s event. But for many within the Horse racing fraternity, the event also provided the opportunity to learn of how the Guyana Horse Racing Authority plans to bolster and develop the sport.
The members of the authority were announced earlier in July by Sport Minister, Charles Ramson Jr., divulging that Dr. Steven Cheefoon will act as Chairman.
Dr. Cheefoon, on Monday last, shared some insight on what will comprise the Horse Racing Authority’s work.
“It’s my first official speech as Chairman and I’d like to promise each and every single one of you that this Horse Racing Authority would be one that ensures that fairness and transparency is paramount,” the recently appointed Horse Racing authority Chairman shared, “Every single horse owner, trainer, groom, this is what we’ve all been waiting for, this is it that gives you your licensing, this is what gives you the potential to travel overseas, the potential to be internationally recognized.”
“It’s now up to all of us, to put our heads together and make this sport something that the persons on the outside can look and say ‘let’s go to Guyana in August’. ‘Why are you going in August? We’re going for the Guyana Cup’. That’s what we want to hear every single Caribbean country and the wider Americas say next year and the years to come,” he added.
With betting being a major part of the Sport, Dr. Cheefoon also shared plans for this aspect.
Dr. Cheefoon told the gathering, “That’s one of the things we want to focus on as an authority. We want to focus on how we bet and the gambling laws regarding that. It’s all going to be put in place and you’re all going to see how beautiful this sport can be.”
As such, the chairman went on to sum up the authority’s mandate.
“The mandate is to be internationally recognized, the mandate is to have a sport where we have good veterinary practices, the mandate is to have a sport where we have jockeys that are catered for, the mandate is to have a sport where and again, only the Guyana Cup has a medical booth and an ambulance that goes around with the races, we need every race to run in a similar manner and that’s why we have this authority,” he explained.
Dr. Cheefoon also had words of praise for the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry and by extension Government for putting the Horse Racing Legislation and Authority in place.
Cheefoon expressed, “I’d like to, first off, thank the Minister and Government of Guyana because this is the first time ever, in the history of this country, that the Government has seen the importance and have paid a special interest to help us get this legislation passed. And to have fairness, integrity, transparency and accountability paramount in the sport of kings in this country.”
The Guyana Horse Racing Authority Bill 2024 was passed in the National Assembly back in 2025, paving the way for the establishment of the authority.
The Guyana Horse Racing Authority also includes Adrian Anamayah, Dr Nardeo Bassoodeo, Amernauth Kiritpal, Zahir Khan, Poonai Bhrigroog, and Councillor Mohamed Naeem Kamal (Port Mourant Turf Club-racetrack Support and Administration).

The post Dr Cheefoon outlines mandates for Guyana Horse Racing Authority appeared first on Guyana Times.

Stakeholders in the local Private Sector recently engaged the Guyana Government to review a number of key trade and tariff matters that are affecting the country’s manufacturing sector.

During the meeting on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd, and senior Ministry trade advisors held discussions on areas of concerns raised by officials from the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA).
There was also a briefing on the outcomes from the 62nd Meeting of the Caribbean Community’s Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), including discussions on the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), regional supply chains and tariff regimes under Article 164. The COTED meeting was held at the Caricom Secretariat in Georgetown back in June.
According to the PSC, the Private Sector representatives also highlighted industry data and concerns on several specific areas. These include refined white sugar, with both the PSC and GMSA reiterating that extra-regional Common External Tariff (CET) waivers should remain in place until regional refiners can demonstrate the capacity to meet required grades, volumes, and international standards.
They noted that the potential entry of a new local refining operation is being explored in Guyana and may require a review of the tariff position.
That local operation is the US$20 million white sugar refinery at the old sugar estate at Wales, West Bank Demerara, being undertaken by Guyanese company GAICO, in collaboration with United States-based Sucro Limited.
The project, officially known as Demerara Sugar Refinery Inc, will transform raw sugar into value-added refined sugar. Expected to process 100,000 tonnes annually, the facility aims to replace imported white sugar and supply the wider Caribbean market.
Just last month, GAICO Chief Executive Officer Komal Singh said they were in the process of decommissioning the sugar estate. That plant, he said, is being torn down and will be outfitted with a brand-new equipment for the white sugar refinery, which is likely to be completed by the first half of next year.

Glass packaging
Another issue raised during Wednesday’s engagement is the glass packaging capacity within the Region. The Private Sector officials noted that supply capacity, delays, product variety and quality, and the proposed 15 per cent CET on glass bottles were all discussed.
They pointed out that previous assessments found that local supply could not meet the required level of demand. To this end, it was noted that the Ministry supported the need for a new, independent assessment and acknowledged concerns that the proposed tariff could disproportionately benefit a single company and limit competition.
The Caribbean Private Sector Organisation (CPSO), Caricom’s private sector arm, and Carib Glassworks Limited – a subsidiary of the ANSA McAL Group based in Trinidad and Tobago, had previously proposed the imposition of a 15 per cent import tariff on glass bottles sourced from outside the Caricom region in an apparent push for local protection.
However, this proposal had been strongly opposed by regional groups such as the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA) and local Private Sector bodies, including the GMSA and the PSC, which have argued such a tariff could drive packaging and operational expenses for many regional food and beverage producers.

Tariffs on paint
Meanwhile, the meeting between Minister Todd and the Private Sector representatives also addressed Caricom’s decision to suspend the planned 35 per cent CET on imported paints and varnishes, which was scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026. The tariff increase is being reviewed following concerns raised by Guyana regarding its potential impact on prices, supply, and consumers.
The tariff was first proposed at the June 2025 COTED meeting – something which Guyana has objected to on two separate occasions following concerns over the Region’s inability to meet local demand and price hikes for buyers across the Caribbean.
According to a report from La Caribeña News, regional leaders decided at the recent COTED meeting to suspend the rollout of the tariff and ordered a fresh assessment of regional demand, supply, and production before anything is implemented.
Nevertheless, following Wednesday’s meeting, the PSC said Minister Todd and the Ministry’s technical team favourably received the Private Sector’s submissions and reaffirmed that Government will consider the interests of domestic industries, local businesses, and consumers when determining Guyana’s position on regional trade measures.
It was further noted that the PSC, the GMSA and the Ministry also agreed on the importance of strengthening ongoing technical engagement, with a proposal for meetings to be held more frequently to ensure that Guyana’s trade positions are informed by current industry realities.

The post Private Sector discusses trade, tariff woes with Foreign Minister appeared first on Guyana Times.