Health Min. to exit Sussex St. bond rental agreement
– contract ends December 31 2018
DPI, Guyana, Friday, December 14, 2018
Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence has confirmed that the Ministry of Public Health has terminated the rental agreement for the Sussex Street bond which has cost the ministry millions of dollars.
Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence while defending her ministry’s budget in the National Assembly
The agreement was entered into with Linden Holdings Incorporated from the month of July 2016 and has been a point of controversy for the parliamentary opposition.
The agreement saw the ministry paying $12.5M for the bond’s rental from July 2016 to December 2018.
The Public Health Minister has reassured that as of December 31, 2018, the ministry will generally cease the rental of bonds for the storage of drugs, medical supplies among other critical items used in the public health sector.
Budgetary allocations have been provided for in 2019 for the completion of bonds at Kingston and Diamond. These state-of-the-art facilities are expected to be bigger and more conducive for the storage of medical drugs and supplies. In the meantime, the ministry will utilise temporary holding facilities for storage.
Delicia Haynes
Images: Keno George