THE Guyanese Diaspora in Canada donated three ultrasound machines to boost the local healthcare system.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday donated the three ultrasound machines to the Ministry of Public Health.

The handing over ceremony took place at the Lot 1 Brickdam, Georgetown compound of the Public Health Ministry, where Senior Minister Mrs. Volda Lawrence was on hand to receive the items.

There, she said one of the machines will be given to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, on the East Bank corridor, another to the C.C. Nicholson Hospital, East Coast Demerara and the final machine to the Materials Management Unit (MMU) of the MoPH.

Meanwhile, Director of the International Desk at the MoPH, Mr. Denroy Tudor explained that the ultrasound machines were contributions from the North York General Hospital which donated them to the Guyana Christian Charities Consulate in Toronto, Canada.

He added that the North York General Hospital had given four ultrasound machines last year but the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital uplifted theirs before Friday’s official handing-over ceremony.

The donation to C.C Nicholson Hospital and the Diamond Diagnostic Centre “will improve health care delivery to patients,” including those travelling from Kwakwani Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) and other far-flung locations, said Dr. Fiona Perry, Deputy Director, Regional Health Services (RHS).

Dr. Perry welcomed the donation which she described as timely noting that the ultrasound machines “will decrease the patient load” of the service being offered specifically at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), by allowing patients to access the services at the Regional Hospitals thus ending the need for them to seek the service at the usually over-crowded GPHC.

Both Perry and Tudor agreed that the donation of the machines will benefit patients, improve health services offered by the regional hospitals and serve as a fillip to the novel smart hospital initiative currently undertaken by the MoPH with technical and financial support from PAHO/WHO.