IN A determined effort to develop a thorough appreciation of the public health issues and challenges facing Region One, and to devise better strategies to address those issues, Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings, led a high-level team of Public Health officials to that Region last Wednesday for a two-day visit.The minister and team commenced the visit at the Mabaruma Regional Hospital, before moving on to other facilities at Port Kaituma, Arakaka and Matthew’s Ridge, engaging regional officials to get a firsthand assessment of the conditions that obtain in that area.

Minister Cummings heard the concerns of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) about the current state of public health facilities at Mabaruma, and determined that significant work needs to be done to raise the standards of health care services being delivered, as well as the nature of other public health infrastructure in the region.

In her address to the Council, Minister Cummings emphasized the Government’s commitment to the people of Region One, and reiterated its determination to rectify the difficulties that affect the people of that region.

“I am here to have a hands-on assessment of the quality of public health delivery in Region One. I am here to see for myself what are our shortcomings. I want to be made aware of the challenges that face the community in relation to its health care.

“Moreover, I want to reassure you that, as a Ministry and as a Government, we will formulate meaningful ways in which we plan to fix the shortcomings identified and minimize the impact of the challenges with a view to changing them into positives,” the Minister said.

Minister Cummings also called on the Council to have a more collaborative approach towards solving the problems of the region. “We want to work with you as best as we can to solve the problems that you experience on a daily basis. For us to realize the potential that is embodied in Region One, we must work collaboratively to achieve the goals and objectives that contribute to nation-building.

“I wish that we can work together to ensure that every citizen in Region One lives a healthy life,” she declared.

Over at Port Kaituma, Minister Cummings and team visited the building site of the new state-of-the-art hospital being constructed, and was given a full tour of the facility, which is at completion stage of Phase 1. According to the consulting firm, Phase 2 of the project will commence shortly, and will result in the hospital being fully equipped with the latest and best medical equipment.

The new facility is scheduled for commissioning in December 2016.

The new Port Kaituma hospital will house male and female wards; a fully functioning world-class operating theatre; minor operating room; maternal child healthcare facilities; dentistry; laboratory; infectious diseases centre; pharmacy; radiology department, and modern storage facilities.

The cost of the new Port Kaituma Hospital is pegged at Gy$700M. The contractor is R. Bassoo and Sons, and the supervisory consultancy firm is Kalitech Inc.

A tour of the current hospital at Port Kaituma painted a gruesome picture of years of neglect and of lack of adequate resources.
Minister Cummings was visibly moved by the myriad complaints that came quite candidly from the staff, who are currently working under the most onerous conditions. The human issues affecting staff, coupled with various degrees of structural and infrastructural damage, showcase the near derelict structure and broken systems that have been inherited by the Ministry of Public Health at Port Kaituma.

However, Minister Cummings was pleased with the condition of the Matthew’s Ridge Hospital, although she was concerned about the lack of proper storage for medical supplies.

She noted that there is obvious need for the regional administration to work collaboratively with the Ministry of Public Health in fixing many of the issues affecting Region One’s public healthcare system.

There is a recognizable disconnect between what is seen as priority by the regional administration and what in reality are the pressing matters that need immediate attention by the regional administration. From simple human resource issues to the procurement of simple, but important articles, appliances and equipment that can make the lives of staff and patients easier, the administration of Region One must make a special effort to work with Government to fix the many pervasive issues.

Accompanying the Minister was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, Trevor Thomas; Director of Regional Health Services, Dr. Kay Shako; Coordinator of Indigenous People’s Communities and Regional Health Services, Michael Gouveia; Facilities Manager Earl O’Neil; Engineer Bruce Wills; Kalitech Representative Kalyan Tiwari; and USAID-funded Materials Management Unit (MMU) project representatives Mr. Marvin Couldwell and Mr. Cecil Jacques.