New health centre for Festival City – other M&CC health facilities to be upgraded

DPI, Guyana, Saturday, April 21, 2018

The enhancement of health services for Georgetown residents, who live in the areas of Festival City, Sophia, Albouystown and Kitty, was discussed in a meeting between Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence and Mayor Patricia Chase-Greene.

In the April 20 meeting, both government officials reviewed ways in which their respective offices can collaborate to improve primary health care services in Georgetown

Minister Lawrence, in an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), said the meeting, with Georgetown’s Chief Citizen, was convened after the ministry committed to lending support to the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to provide improved health services to these communities.

Coming out of this deliberation, the minister said that the two agencies (MoPH and M&CC) will oversee the reconstruction of the Festival City Health Centre. She explained, “We are at the stage where we have already designed and we are about to go to tender so what I discussed with her (Mayor Chase-Greene) is our approach, in terms of the billboard we want to put up so the community could see what is coming.”

The new building will remain at the Aubrey Barker and Blue Mountain Roads, North Ruimveldt with the new main entrance being on Aubrey Barker Road. There will be a ramp at the new entrance catering to persons with disabilities. It was discussed that the two-storey building will house additional services in addition to those that are already offered, making it a community hospital.

Laboratory, X-Ray and Ultrasound services will be resident there as there will also be the establishment of an adolescent clinic. Also, “Because of the large catchment of the area, they will be extending clinic hours so persons can access outpatient services instead of going to the GPHC,” the Public Health Minister noted.

Minister also added that there are plans to establish another health centre in the Sophia area. She noted, “The number of persons to be serviced by that health centre is way above what the capacity can carry, so we were talking about where they have identified for the placement of another health centre within the Sophia-Pattensen area.”

Further government officials discussed the Kitty health centre and the dissemination of critical services, which can be facilitated at the upper flat of the Kitty Market complex. The Second Phase of the rehabilitation of the complex is currently being undertaken by Ministry of Communities.

The Ministry will also work with the Albouystown Health centre to ensure that this facility can effectively provide the level of health care needed by the community.

By: Delicia Haynes