Region Two health sector’s capital works moving apace

GINA, GUYANA, Thursday, May 18, 2017

Infrastructural capital works in Region Two, Pomeroon Supenaam. Minister with the Ministry of Public Health recently visited health facilities along the coast, reporting improvement in services offered as a result of some of the works that have started.

Those infrastructural works which have begun are expected to facilitate better health care delivery to residents within the region. Since the minister’s last visit in January, she has recognised that the works have begun where rehabilitation and other interventions were desperately needed.

In other areas, the minister told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that the staff complement has also improved, which is expected to guarantee patients better health care.

“Well what I have seen is that in terms of the efficiency and effectiveness of delivering public health care to this region first, in some cases we have our complement of staff. I recall going to Charity just in January there were only three doctors there now they have double, six so we are trying to improve in terms of our human resources, in terms of our capital works we are working assiduously on that. I know some works are going to start next week they have already been contracted out and so forth.” Minister Cummings revealed.

More specifically, upon visiting the Oscar Joseph District Hospital, the minister  said she  was pleased with some of the projects which  have been started and are moving apace. The doctor in charge of that facility, Dr. Sheneer Reid commented on the works.

“We have the Accident and Emergency building that was started. It’s not completed only the outside is complete but on the inside we have to get all the equipment and the oxygen and so forth. We had the washrooms for the wards completed and we have the labour room, that’s halfway as well because we still have to put in the AC and the lights.” Dr. Reid explained.

Additionally, the hospital’s mortuary underwent rehabilitation earlier in the year. All other projects are expected to be completed before year-end. The contracts for most of the projects have either undergone or are currently going through the tender process. Other minor issues are set to be addressed with interventions from the Ministry of Public Health.

Minister Cummings pointed out that, “there are some minor things that are hanging fruits, like chairs and so on we can work very quickly to address but all in all I’ve seen improvement from some of the things that I have met when I came in January I have seen much improvement in terms of infrastructure work here.”

Nine hundred and forty four million dollars of the region’s budget has been approved for improving and upgrading health services. Residents of riverain communities in the region are also expected to benefit significantly from efficient access to medical care and additional human resources at health facilities, while those along the coast will continually see interventions to provide better health care services.

 

By: Delicia Haynes