THE highly-anticipated Maternal Waiting Home for Moruca in the North West District will be constructed in this year.

According to a release from the Regional information unit, Regional Health Officer (RHO), Dr. Latchmie Lall, who said that despite the long wait, she is confident that the project will start as anticipated this year.

Dr. Lall said that while the project had not yet been awarded to a contractor, the engineer’s estimate is $40M.Once the National Procurement and Tender Board(NPTB) moves swiftly on it, it will be awarded, thus ensuring that work can commence.

“The engineer’s estimate has been completed and the last thing that I am aware of is that it was at the National Tender Board so we in Health Service are anxiously awaiting the awarding of this contract, so that work can commence, as the residents are eager to have this home constructed,” she said.

The maternal waiting home is expected to accommodate a high number of pregnant women from the region, with the primary objective of serving as a transition point between the hinterland residents as they await delivery. As such, it will contain 14 beds along with other rooms to address several maternal-related issues.

The waiting home is also geared at reducing several challenges that women face at home, while waiting to deliver, thus enhancing the region’s delivery record.
The RHO said the construction of the home will further enhance healthcare, noting that a number of women who are living in far-flung communities usually encounter severe challenges when they are approaching their delivery dates and it would ensure that they can access a safe delivery as they would be surrounded with professional medical help. “This maternal and waiting home is critically important to Region One as we have had some deaths and other challenges over the years and it is our view that with the completion of the waiting home it would certainly enhance deliveries of babies,” Dr. Lall said.
Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer, Randy Storm, said that the facility will boost healthcare in the region.

“This is a critically-important project for Region One and we are confident that it will boost healthcare within the region. This is an eagerly-anticipated project for Region One and we are confident that a significant number of women will certainly benefit from this project,” the REO said.

REO Storm stressed that the facility is one of the region’s 2020 priority projects.
He further disclosed that another major project that is expected to be completed early this year is a conference hall. The hall is being constructed to the tune of $10.958M and is being constructed by Yahweh Conglomerate. Engineer Murwin Allison said that the project is moving ahead nicely and he expressed satisfaction with the quality of work thus far.
That project, the REO said, will help in enhancing and improving healthcare.
Dr. Lall, in commenting on the project, said that these projects are all geared in boosting significantly, healthcare in Region One. She disclosed that the Mabaruma Hospital is looking to become a regional teaching hospital in 2020. “Once we can put the necessary accommodations in place, we can have consultants and student residents coming at intervals to be a part of Mabaruma Regional Hospital. We also want to have our theatre up and functioning, which will offer surgical services to the region,” Dr. Lall stressed.

The RHO said that plans are afoot to have an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) unit established at Mabaruma. This, she said, will increase the hospital’s capabilities in addressing increased medical challenges facing patients, thus the establishment of the ICU. She said that with the ICU, the hospital will better handle increased medical difficulties.
“We are also hoping that with approval from the budget committee, we have the ICU unit up and functional as well next year at Mabaruma Regional Hospital. We have recently completed a lab at Mathews Ridge where there is a district hospital, so we are looking to have an x-ray machine coming there and a number of other small services being provided in the Matarkai subdistrict,” the RHO opined.

Dr. Lall reiterated that the new building, which will house the Port Kaituma Regional Hospital, should be completed shortly, disclosing that the staff would be able to move over and occupy the new facility.