Georgetown, Guyana – September 9, 2025 – The Region Six Regional Health Services Department has pushed back strongly against allegations that the transfer of one of its drivers was politically motivated, saying the move was nothing more than a routine administrative decision to keep emergency health services running.
The controversy erupted after Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) leader, Simona Broomes, and Team Mohamed took to social media accusing the government of political victimisation. They claimed the reassignment of driver Stanley Jacob was part of a broader campaign of persecution. Their posts quickly spread online, fueling heated debate about politics creeping into basic public services.
But in a press release issued Monday, September 8, 2025, the health department flatly denied the accusations. It explained that Jacob had simply been redeployed from the Regional Health Services Department to the Port Mourant Hospital to fill a temporary staffing gap. One of the hospital’s drivers is currently on leave, and Jacob was the only driver available at the time. The transfer, the department said, ensured that emergency patient transfers, often a matter of life and death, were not disrupted.
“This move was necessary to maintain emergency services and patient care at the Port Mourant Hospital,” the department said, stressing that such transfers are a normal part of operations. According to the statement, the movement of drivers across health institutions in Region Six happens regularly to balance workloads and guarantee continuity of service.
Region Six, which covers East Berbice-Corentyne, is one of Guyana’s largest administrative regions and relies heavily on its health department to coordinate transportation for patients across scattered rural communities. In areas where hospitals and clinics are often short-staffed, drivers play a crucial role in keeping ambulances and patient transfers moving. Officials argued that politicising such routine decisions risks undermining public confidence in services that families depend on during emergencies.
The department ended its statement with an appeal to the public to resist misinterpreting administrative actions as politically driven. “We urge the public not to misinterpret these routine administrative actions. They are strictly aimed at sustaining the delivery of effective and timely healthcare across Region Six,” the release concluded.
For Jacob, the reassignment means carrying out his duties at Port Mourant Hospital rather than the regional office, a change the health department insists is about service, not politics.
