A gift of a spanking new US$330,000 Health Centre at East La Penitence – compliments of the United States Government, was yesterday commissioned President Bharrat Jagdeo.

The Centre, constructed by the 876 the Engineer Company (Vertical) and soldiers of the 878 Engineer Battalion Georgia Army National Guard for the people of East La Penitence, Greater Georgetown, was commissioned during a ceremony which simultaneously brought the curtain down on a successful four-month New Horizons humanitarian Project here in Guyana.

President Bharrat Jagdeo addresses the commissioning ceremony.

The New Horizons Guyana programme is one designed to strengthen U.S ties with partner nations in Central and South America, through combined quality-of-life improvement projects.

In Guyana’s case, all the quality-of-life improvements projects are being done at a cost of US$9M.

Those at the commissioning included Charge d’ Affairs of the United States Embassy Ms. Karen Williams; Health Ministers Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and Bheri Ramsaran; PAHJO/WHO Director Dr. Kathleen Israel; Lt. Colonel Patrick Keenan, Head of the team executing the project New Horizons Project in Guyana; Commodore Gary Best of the Guyana Defence Force); Deputy Mayor Robert Williams; and Head of Regional Health Services Dr. Janice Woolford.

President Jagdeo cuts the ribbon to declare the Centre open. With him is US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Ms. Karen Williams.

President Bharrat Jagdeo, speaking to the New Horizons team, observed: “What you are doing here is allowing us to expand one of the critical tasks that we have set ourselves – that is to provide a better service to our people.”

President Jagdeo noted that health care and delivery to the people of Guyana is an important to national development, adding that it is particularly difficult to deliver on these objectives because of insufficient financial resources.

He spoke of strengthening training programmes for medical personnel, as staffing the many hospitals being established around the country will demand ‘ an aggressive training programme.

And Charge d’ Affaires of the United States Embassy, Ms. Karen Williams, stating how delighted she was to be a part of the programme, had words of congratulations and support for the New Horizons team and other stakeholders.

“We are thrilled to have been able to work with the people of Guyana over the last four months,” she stated.

President Jagdeo at the commissioning.

For her, the key word was ‘partnership’, stressing: “When reflecting on all the activities in which New Horizons was engaged in Guyana over the last three months, I don’t see just what the US Government and US military have come here to work out, but I see a partnership…. a sharing of the friendship of the United States on a continuing basis. I see all the people who worked on this together.”

Ms. Wiliams traced the US humanitarian work in Guyana back to 2004, with medical clinics among other things, being held in Georgetown and surgeries in Linden, Corrriverton, Bel Air, Timehri and other locations.

Meanwhile, Lt. Colonel Patrick Keenan, USAF, who also commented briefly on the project, stated what a pleasure it was to have been allowed to conduct the project here in Guyana, and thanked members of his team for their dedication and the long hours of work they put in o make the project a success. He was particularly appreciative of the sacrifice the team made through being away from their families for the duration of the project, and working alongside their counterparts from the Guyana Defence Force

The programme was chaired by Dr. Bheri Ramsarran who also expressed gratitude to the Government of America and New Horizons team, and gave an overview of Government’s plans for the development of the health sector.