A SPANKING new health centre with all modern conveniences and officially declared open last Monday, was the most recent accomplishment in a series of services and facilities made available to the Leonora Diagnostic Hospital and designed specifically to benefit people seeking medical services at that institution, which falls within the Essequibo Islands/West Demerara region.

This is according to Regional Information Officer Ganesh Mahipaul, in an exclusive interview with the Pepperpot Magazine.

And indeed, for the Leonora Diagnostic Hospital, there have been some significant infrastructural developments lately, all with the comfort, recovery and improved health of patients in mind. Citing some examples, Mahipaul pointed to the rebuilding of the roadway from the Leonora Public Road to the seawall revetment outside of the health centre; the building of a new parking lot utilising asphalt and concrete. This facility was constructed, catering for commuters including hospital staff and the mobile public.

The Leonora Diagnostic Hospital has also benefitted from extensions to the Dental, X-ray, Emergency and Out Patient Units, as well as an Optical Centre and an advanced storage facility for pharmaceuticals, in addition to the Prevention-of-Mother-to-Child-Transmission (PMTCT) Clinic.

Other significant infrastructural developments include a new state-of-the-art Early Childhood Development Centre, built specifically for pre-school children. There is also a bridge which is currently being constructed outside the hospital.

Mahipaul disclosed that a large quantity of medical equipment was purchased for the West Demerara Regional Hospital, and by extension, the other hospitals within the region. These include anaesthesia, ventilator, a portable extra unit, aqua plastic sterilisers; orthopaedic operating and recovery room beds.

In the West Demerara /Essequibo Islands, we have seen the construction of sanitary blocks; health centres at Vergenoegen; at Greenidge Park; at Sandhils up the Demerara River; incinerators, a furnace at Des Kindren, Morashee, Karia Karia and Vive la Force and Lanaballi. Additionally, in order to enhance the security at complexes and other facilities, several guard huts have been constructed.

At the Leonora Diagnostic Centre, there was an extension to the health centre, as well as a new maternity wing, likewise at Den Amstel and Upper Bonasika, Morashee and Lanaballi, catering to the needs of a larger number of patients.

There have also been extensions and rehabilitation of living quarters, as well as doctors’ residences at the Leonora Diagnostic Centre and the Boat Landing at Upper Bonasika to allow residents and others easy ingress and egress to the community. And in order to enhance the security at complexes and other facilities, several guard huts have been constructed. There was also an extension to the X-Ray Emergency Unit at the Leonora Diagnostic Centre.

Mahipaul disclosed that all the developments outlined were undertaken and accomplished between 2016 and 2019. “These are things that were done on the basis of us coming to the office. We recognised that not much was done within the health sector [by the previous government] to cater for people’s well-being and providing the service of ensuring that health is the primary focus of our nation. So what we did, was to ensure that we catered to provide the facilities, the extension to them so that the doctors, nurses and patients alike can feel comfortable,” he said. Mahipaul said it was not a ‘one off’, but was sustained with the interest of every community within the region in mind.

Continuing, he said: “In the field of health, in Region Number Three – Essequibo Islands/West Demerara, we have seen the construction of sanitary blocks at health centres such as Sand Hills up the Demerara River; Vergenoegen, Greenwich Park, incinerators, furnace, likewise at De Kendren, Morashee, Karia Karia.

“Basically, we did not want them to run away with the idea that all is well, because it is not easy to fix an entire health department or an education department or an agriculture department … It’s not easy, but at least we are stepping in the right direction of ensuring that we first provide the necessary amenities and facilities, and necessary additional things that they need to maximise their skills. You can be a trained doctor, but if you don’t have the equipment to give you the excellent results, then you will be judged as a bad doctor, and we don’t want that. We want to ensure that you have the equipment that would ensure you get that good result that you’re looking for, and when you get the result, the patients must leave, saying that: ‘The doctors and nurses treated me well!’ and by extension, the government has provided us with a service,” he said.

Mahipaul believes that if there is a cultural change – that is, how the service providers communicate with the persons to whom they are providing the service , then that can take us a far way in restoring people’s health. He concluded, “There are times when you don’t have the medication, but sometimes if you let that person leave [the health facility] with a smile, with a nice, simple word from the hospital, they would have solved a reasonable percentage of the problem.”