OVER the past two years, the Bartica Regional Hospital has undergone a series of upgrades which contributed to a better level of service being offered to residents in and around the town.
Regional Health Officer, Region Seven, Dr. Edward Sagala, has disclosed that the 2018 target is to renew primary health care service in Region Seven, while improving support services at the regional hospital itself. Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings, recently visited the facility and was briefed on plans to upgrade and improve services.
“Right now we have a two-bed Accident and Emergency [Unit]. This is a mining community, this is a region which has a lot of activities, not only mining but tourism. Accidents do take place… the Accident and Emergency [Unit] is one area that will benefit in moving forward, making it at least a 10 bed, according to the proposal”, Dr. Sagala explained.

He also revealed plans to expand the bed capacity of the regional hospital. “Money will also go to improve accommodation not only for doctors but for all categories of health workers. The hospital will have additional new wards to cater for approximately another 50 beds, which will make this hospital when it completed close to 100 beds”.
Additionally, the hospital has one operating theatre that is functional and there are plans to construct another theatre to complement the one already in existence. These upgrades will call for the strengthening of support services, including dental services, laboratory and pharmacy services. The RHO added, “Information technology also has been included because as we are working now, the world is changing and information technology forms part of health care delivery, it is faster, it is quicker and it is good for all of us”.
Dr. Sagala also revealed that the construction of the building to house the Computed Tomography machine (CT scan) at the hospital has been approved via the tendering system and is scheduled to start before the end of 2017.

Meanwhile, the RHO said that the regional administration is considering upgrading the district hospital at Kamarang. The upgrade will include equipment, infrastructure and the supply of drugs and other medical supplies. This will ensure that patients are catered for, and would not have to be referred to GPHC. “We need it to be well-equipped to cater to the patients in Upper Mazaruni, so instead of those doctors referring cases directly to the Georgetown Hospital, if we upgrade Kamarang and we put medical specialists [there] in the near future, they will able to work along with other doctors in the area so that is another vision”, Dr. Sagala noted. (DPI)