Piling driving for the upgrade of the $1.2B Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in-patient facility between Lamaha and Thomas Streets has been completed, and contractors have commenced work on the foundation of walls and supporting columns for the construction of the first floor of the facility.

Construction workers preparing foundation walls and supporting columns for the first floor of the facility

This was disclosed by Director, Facilities Management Secretariat, GPHC, Parmanand Samaroo, during an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA) .

The construction of the facility is in keeping with the administration’s thrust of improving the quality and efficacy of health care services by modernising and upgrading health care facilities countrywide.

He noted that there have been few delays with construction designs; however, these have been rectified and construction is on schedule.

Several departments had to be re-located to facilitate construction. The Gynaecology Clinic was re-sited to ward E, southern compound, the Low Vision Centre to the multi purpose room area (beneath the medical library) and the Public Safety Department (internal security) shifted to the ground floor of the administrative building (information desk area).

The upgrade of the facility, Samaroo said, is being conducted within the GPHC’s master plan and the national development strategy. The first phase of construction work is expected to be completed within 18 months. The project is being executed by R. Basso Contracting Firm.

He added that management of the GPHC is also seeking to integrate and consolidate in-patient services which are currently dispersed at the institution.

The facility is being constructed to accommodate approximately 300 in-patients and upon completion of the first phase, surgical patients will be transferred to the surgical ward of the upgraded facility.

Prior to the construction of the facility, in 2007, through an Inter American Development Bank Funded (IDB) project, GPHC had embarked on a computerisation project aimed at improving the maintenance and management systems at the institution. (GINA)