-Minister Lawrence says a lot of things in store for mining town

THE mining town of Linden is set to get a boost in the area of public health, come 2020, said Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence.

“Linden is on the radar for 2020 and you will see a lot of things happening there,” said Minister Lawrence during an interview with Social Activist, Mark Benschop on Benschop Radio, on Friday evening.

Taking a step back in time, the minister said when the APNU+AFC Government was elected to office in 2015, they inherited a public health system that was as bumpy as Sussex Street in the same year.

Linden was also no stranger to deficiencies and “bumps,” but, according to Lawrence, the Linden Hospital Complex has been “holding its own” over the past few years.
“I won’t lie, we have a lot of deficiencies there… there is a nice building, a lot of workers, competent workers, but they lack the tools,” said the minister, adding that the Linden hospital lacks equipment and specialty services.

This is something which Minister Lawrence hopes to leave in 2019, since there is much in store for the Linden Hospital next year. Among the improvements in the pipeline for the hospital complex is the refurbishment of the main theatres, the purchasing of “much needed” equipment and the addition of an Ophthalmology department and theatre.
The minister made a commitment to ensuring that those things come on stream next year, especially since the Ministry of Public Health wanted to take other services to the hospital in the past but could not do so because of lack of equipment.

In addition to infrastructural advancements, Minister Lawrence said her ministry will be looking to equip the Linden Hospital Complex with the requisite personnel, so that the transferals to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) will be reduced.
“In that way we will not only improve the capacity of the hospital, but we will also spend money smartly and get more out of the buck…if the specialist goes to Linden Hospital, they will provide services to more than one patient,” said the minister, noting that the same strategy has been employed in other regions and has proven to be successful.

As the ministry continues to look at ways to relieve the burden from the GPHC and ensure that persons are treated in the comfort of their communities, Minister Lawrence said her ministry will be looking to add an emergency section to the Kwakwani Hospital.
“We have really been working on improving the health system in Region Ten by bridging the resource gap… in doing so, we have also refurbished the doctor’s quarters at Kwakwani, so that doctors have proper residence,” said the minister, adding that an ambulance will also be placed at the hospital in the coming year.

Similar developments will be seen at the Wismar Hospital. A mini emergency department has already been added to improve the services offered there.
“We are now working on the wards…the contractor was called back to do remedial work so that we can bring up the Wismar Hospital so persons are not sent to Linden Hospital,” said Minister Lawrence.