Govt to restore Little Biaboo Health Centre to serve residents
Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Hon. Deodat Indar has committed to ensuring the abandoned Little Biaboo Health Centre is equipped to serve the over 1,200-strong Little Biaboo and Big Biaboo, Region Five communities.
The Minister made this pledge during a visit to the areas on Sunday to assess infrastructural works for roads and bridges.
The visit, his second in recent weeks, followed closely on the heels of a letter residents wrote to His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali requesting his assistance for electricity and other services.
The health centre currently has no staff, drugs, nor essential equipment. Instead, over the last five years, it has become a sanctuary for birds.
“If someone gets sick in this area in the window called ‘the golden hour’ and need medical treatment, nothing exists,” Minister Indar said. “It’s been totally neglected over the past five years and we have to fix that,” he added.
During the 2015-2020 tenure of the Coalition Government, Minister Indar said the communities only received one Ministerial visit, which later led to an increase in land fees. In addition, a request resident to the then President, David Granger, for electricity was overlooked. Further, roads and bridges were neglected, threatening the livelihoods of residents in this agriculture community.
Since the PPP/C Government took office in August, 2020, both villages have welcomed visits from Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Hon. Nigel Dharamlall; Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Hon. Susan Rodrigues and Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, as the PPP/C Administration continues to take a comprehensive approach to developing the area.
In addition to fixing the health centre, the Minister committed to providing first time electricity to both communities. Officials from the Guyana Power and Light Company are already on the ground conducting assessments.
Remedial works will also be done on the De Hoop branch road leading into Big Biaboo and Little Biaboo, to bring relief to dozens of residents and restore farmers’ livelihoods.