Leonora Diagnostic Centre slated to re-open March 8 –after being hit by floods
DPI, Guyana, Monday, March 5, 2018
The Leonora Hospital, that temporarily closed after the bottom flat flooded, is expected to reopen on Thursday, March 8.
Late Thursday evening into early Friday morning, above normal high tides overtopped the seawall along the West Coast of Demerara. This resulted in severe flooding in several communities. One of the hardest hit facilities was the Leonora Diagnostic and Treatment Centre.
volunteers and other staff of the Leonora Treatment and Diagnostic Centre involved in the hospital clean up exercise.
This hospital’s ground floor was inundated with approximately 14 inches of water. As a result, the centre was ordered to be temporarily closed by senior public health officials to facilitate its clean-up.
Updating the Department of Public Information (DPI) on the process, to restore the diagnostic centre to a level of functionality, Assistant Administrator, Kathleen Armstrong said, “Presently we are in the mopping up exercise. Even though the Guyana Fire Service would have initially done some work, we still have to continue by wiping, doing our floors, sanitising and all the other aspects of the mopping up exercise.”
While in Leonora, DPI witnessed volunteers from several core groups and hospital staff actively involved in preparing the health facility, to serve the public.
“There are still some areas where we have the thick mud and thanks to one of our contractors he is bringing a power-hose, so we are going to be hosing out especially the pharmacy and the health centre. Those were the hardest hit”, Armstrong explained.
Ministry of Public Health’s Permanent Secretary Colette Adams along with the Regional Health Officer
Kathleen Armstrong, Assistant Administrator, Leonora Treatment and Dignostic Centre.
(RHO) of Region Three, Ravindra Dudnauth took the opportunity at this juncture to examine the ongoing progress.
PS Adams during her walk through the facility noted that many records were damaged after coming into contact with flood waters. “We need to (if possible) look back at protocols and legislation concerning record keeping at hospitals and move to have this system to be computerised. We have had too many losses here”, she noted.
Adams added that the Ministry of Public Health will immediately provide a fridge for the storage of vaccines at the Leonora health facility.
In the interim, while this hospital was closed, two other facilities, namely the Mildred Cox-Younge Health Centre at Den Amstel and the Guyana Sugar Company GuySuCo dispensary at the Uitvlugt Community Centre have been opened on a 24hr basis, functioning as community hospitals.
RHO Dudhnauth indicated that since these facilities were tasked to operate for 24 hours since Friday, March 2, there has been no serious flood-related illness. However, he encouraged residents in affected communities to take the necessary precautions and safeguard their health and well-being.
By: Delicia Haynes