Gov’t upgrading Aishalton District Hospital to a central healthcare hub

– training, enhanced services, renovations on the cards

– Dr. Mahadeo

Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo says the Government would be investing in upgrading the Aishalton District Hospital to a central healthcare hub for the Deep South Rupununi, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine).

Dr. Mahadeo and a team, including the Ministry’s Hinterland Coordinator, Mr. Michael Gouveia, are currently in the Region to engage the hospital’s management, community council and Toshao Michael Thomas on the most urgent medical needs there.  The meeting also discussed plans to renovate the hospital.

“We agreed that work needed to be done and in this year’s budget, Region Nine would have improvements for delivery of healthcare and, through the Ministry of Health, we would have budgeted for Aishalton District Hospital, based on your requests.

The architect and engineers need to now have a floor plan because there are monies in this year’s budget to build a theatre and everything that goes with a theatre, so you will have surgical capacity, X-ray capacity and laboratory capacity,” Dr. Mahadeo said.

He said the idea is to ensure persons have easy access to healthcare, in keeping with a mandate issued by President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

“So, services that are done in Lethem right now will be done right here, and more than that, you will be provided staff. You already have a doctor that has been assigned here and one to come to also operate an ultrasound machine. So, you don’t have need to go to Lethem for ultrasound,” he said.

In addition to the infrastructure upgrades, Dr. Mahadeo said enhanced training would also be provided for medical staff as promised.  

“So, I hope you would have identified your community health workers who need to be trained because they should already be at the central point for when training begins,” he said.

Aishalton is a titled Amerindian community located in Deep South Rupununi with a population of over 1,000 people. Its district hospital also serves several satellites including, Shea, Maruranau, Awarewanau, Churikadnau, Karaudanawa, Achiwuib, Bashaizon, Parabara and Gunns (Masakanari). It is located about 60 miles southeast of Lethem and can be accessed by road, an 18-hour drive or one and a half hours by air from Georgetown.