HGP Nightly News – President of the Amerindian Peoples Association Lemmel Thomas is warning that Indigenous communities in Guyana continue to face deep and long-standing barriers to healthcare, saying access remains severely affected by discrimination, cultural exclusion and policies that have failed to reflect the realities of hinterland life.
Speaking on the issue, Thomas said the problem is not new, but one that has persisted for generations. “In my country, access to health services continues to be the challenge that persists due to institutional discrimination and cultural exclusion,” Thomas said, arguing that the struggle for basic care remains a daily reality for many Indigenous families.
According to Thomas, the burden of that reality often falls hardest on the most vulnerable. He said elders are still forced to “trek through mountains, valleys and rivers, to access critical health services,” while essential treatment such as antivenom remains unavailable to men who must leave their communities to provide for their families. He also pointed to “poor birthing conditions” that continue to affect women, noting that some are at times forced to cross borders to access care.
Thomas also raised alarm over the mental health situation facing young people in Indigenous communities, saying their needs are being neglected even as suicide reports become more common. In his view, these social and medical pressures are being worsened by the continued encroachment of mining into Indigenous territories.
He said that expansion has brought with it a rise in infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue, along with the effects of mercury exposure. “These conditions are more evident, with the encroachment of mining into our territories,” Thomas said, linking the health crisis directly to the growing footprint of extractive industries.
While acknowledging government investment in health infrastructure, hospitals and trained professionals, Thomas said major inequalities remain unresolved. “We commend the government for investments in health, for hospitals, and more professionals,” he said. “But at the same time, we have great inequities that persist.”
A central part of his message was that Indigenous health cannot be separated from Indigenous culture, land and language. “Our health depends on the survival of our culture, the promotion of our knowledge systems, and the protection of our lands,” Thomas said. He argued that language barriers continue to delay treatment, with patients and providers often unable to understand each other, and said this reflects the broader dismissal of traditional culture within the health system.
He also warned that mining and logging are destroying natural medicines and weakening traditional systems of healing that many communities still depend on. In that context, Thomas called for more open, respectful and consultative engagement between government and Indigenous leadership to shape solutions that are responsive to community realities.
“We call on our government to conduct consistent and meaningful consultations with our councils on national healthcare,” Thomas said, adding that these discussions must respect Indigenous self-determination and the right of communities to help manage health issues within their own territories.
