Major progress recorded in development of health infrastructure for 2023

The six new regional hospitals are expected to be operational by 2025.

This is according to Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony who stated that work on the hospitals at Suddie, New Amsterdam, Lima, De Kinderen, Diamond, Bath and Skeldon, are progressing.

“For all of these facilities we have completed the foundation and you would see over the next quarter the infrastructure starting to take shape and all of these six hospitals we are expecting the physical infrastructure to be completed by 2024, and then we will start the equipping and making sure that the facilities are functional, so by early 2025 all of these facilities should be operational,” Dr Anthony said.

The hospitals will be equipped with 24-hour accident and emergency units, ultrasound suites, digital x-rays, CT scans, and they would each have two operational surgical theatres, a minor theatre, outpatient facilities and 75-bed inpatient facilities.

Work on the Paediatric and Maternal hospital is also moving apace.

“We have right now the maternal and child health hospital that is being constructed at Ogle, that’s a 256-bed hospital and the foundation for that hospital is already laid and you will see the other infrastructure going in place during the next quarter,” the health minister stated.

In the new year tenders will be out for the construction of the Bartica, Lethem, Moruca, Kato and Kamarang hospitals.

Regarding other infrastructural developments in health, this year $2 billion was spent upgrading 271 health facilities including staff quarters.

Surgical theatres were added at Diamond, Aishalton, Moruca, Mahdia and Mahaicony hospitals.

District hospitals in Port Kaituma Kamarang, Annai, Karasabai and Sand Creek are also being expanded, and works should be completed by mid-2024.

Neonatal units are also being upgraded and equipment were added to six regional hospitals.