Residents eager for new hospital at Kamarang
The Amerindian village of Kamarang in the Upper Mazaruni, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), is poised to welcome a new and modern state-of-the-art hospital.
This hospital promises to revolutionise healthcare services for residents in this remote area. It will be offering testing, X-rays, CT scans, ultrasound and diagnostics services to residents within the Upper Mazaruni.
Excitement and optimism fill the air as residents and medical personnel anticipate the positive impact of this significant development.
During a recent visit to Kamarang, several persons expressed their enthusiasm for the project whilst speaking with the Department of Public Information (DPI).
Residents highlighted what this significant development means for the district.
Tamika Beharry, a resident of Kamarang for ten years, believes that the new hospital will not only transform healthcare but also create job opportunities in the health sector for hundreds of young people in the region.
“You have persons in the area who can benefit from employment through this new project and the youths will have more options, you don’t have to go all the way to Georgetown to be trained, training will be done right in this facility,” she said.
Beharry, who also serves as District Coordinator, Governance, added, “You wouldn’t see our CHWs (Community Health Workers), or our dentex having to go to town, away from their family.
“We have a lot of youngsters in these areas but they can’t afford to go out to town to do training for so long. So…when this new facility comes around, you would have all these things right here.”
Romel Johnny, Vice Toshao of Waramadong Village, expressed widespread support for the project among Upper Mazaruni residents
“I should think that everyone is pleased as far as I know, that is why this project is being proposed or everyone agreed in the Upper Maz, as a second leader of my community, people are aware of it and it will be beneficial to everyone in the Upper Mazaruni district,” he expressed.
Alma Marshall, another resident, expressed gratitude for the long-awaited construction of the hospital, describing it as a heartfelt request from the community.
“I must give praise to god for allowing the health personnel who has us at heart, the indigenous people…and the programme that is in process, to construct a brand-new hospital for the district, we hope that it is going to be materialised very soon and this is what we’re grateful for,” she stated.
Dr. Mark Allen, the Doctor-in-Charge of the district hospital, also emphasised the significance of the hospital for the isolated region.
“To have here literally having the independent facility, where maybe unless it’s a cancer case that we would have to refer, but to have everything done here would be a massive, massive achievement for an area that is so far-flung and so isolated …I think it’s something wonderful,” Dr Allen told DPI.
Meanwhile, Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo, the Director-General of the Ministry of Health, provided an update on the project, confirming the identification of the hospital’s construction site and outlining the next steps in planning and design.
He assured that services will remain available to patients during construction.
The government has secured a US$97 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to finance the construction of similar state-of-the-art hospitals in Moruca, Region One; Kato, Region Eight; and Lethem, Region Nine.
These projects are part of the government’s commitment to providing world-class healthcare to all Guyanese, including those living in far-flung areas like the Upper Mazaruni.