THE Albouystown Health Center was re-opened to the public on Monday morning with an official ceremony at the Bel Air and James’ Streets location.

For approximately one year, the center had been out of operation with the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) often citing a lack of finances to have it fixed. In order to access services, residents had to travel to centers at South Road or Festival City.

But it was not too long ago that Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, sent officers from the ministry to find out what was taking the M&CC so long to have the facility back in working order and what the ministry could have done to assist.

With new assistance provided, the M&CC, at one of its statutory meetings, had set a deadline for the project to be completed, failing which, whoever was responsible for the delay would have been disciplined.

At the ceremony, which featured songs and dances from children of the Selman Fraser and Albouystown Nursery Schools, Minister Lawrence observed that the reopening fulfills the mission of her ministry, which is seeking to establish and refurbish health centers in the various communities.

She recalled, during the feature address, that the center has been rendering services to this community since 1970 when former mayor Hamilton Green was the Minister of Health.

“For more than a year, I know of the inconvenience you have had to endure to allow for the rehabilitation, but you now have access to an upgraded facility,” Lawrence told the small gathering.

She related that the center will not focus exclusively on providing maternal and child care services but that additional services will now be offered, such as a chronic disease clinic. “Guyana, as you may know; we always like to be first, especially in the bad things and we’re riding on top of the waves of chronic diseases,” she stated.

The new services will also include daily outpatient service, daily dressing of wounds, daily counseling and testing for HIV and VIA (cervical cancer).

The minister announced that dental services will also be offered at the center at every quarter and that a fulltime doctor will be assigned there. Attached to the clinic will be the community health workers, who will be visiting homes to check on patients who may have missed clinic appointments or those who have discontinued their treatment for one reason or other.

“We hope to keep up with the health status of our patients so that in the event of a referral, we can have current medical records that can be forwarded. We also hope that the residents will learn to appreciate how essential it is to be vigilant about one’s health and the important of accessing the services for a regular check-up and not waiting until the very last moment when the situation may be out of control.

“Our vision is that you will begin to consider visits to the clinic as part of your routine and incorporate them in your agenda. So you don’t go the clinic when you’re ill but you go for regular checkups,” the minister said.

According to her, the clinic will also extend its services to the residents of the Dharm Shala, located in King Edward Street, Albouystown.

Lawrence said it is hoped that the clinic will have a core of nurses to conduct medical outreaches every three months, on Saturdays, in the community to heighten awareness and educate residents.

Meanwhile, Mayor Patricia Chase-Green offered that the M&CC is grateful for the assistance from the ministry and knows it can count on this government for help, unlike the previous government.

She urged residents to pay their outstanding rates and taxes, even if it is a small sum at a time, because the M&CC depend solely on such taxes to execute their work.

Constituency Councillor, Malcolm Ferreira, pleaded with residents to care the facility by looking out for those who may wish to vandalise it.

Ferreira said while the community owes about half of a billion dollars in taxes to the M&CC, in excess of 300 children and 44 pregnant mothers will be accessing services at the facility.