-Vice-President Jagdeo says $1.6B can’t be wasted, but project will be investigated

By Navendra Seoraj

THE controversial $1.6 billion Infectious Diseases Hospital, which was commissioned by the former A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration, has glaring inefficiencies, but Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo, said taxpayers’ money cannot be wasted, so government is looking to use it for quarantining purposes.

The former government had said the new facility, which was established at the site of the former Ocean View Hotel, will serve as the first all-inclusive infectious diseases facility, and would eventually remove the constraints from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and the regional and district hospitals.
It was reported that the facility has a capacity for 190 beds and also caters for laboratories, a pharmacy, an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), an operating theatre and even a mortuary. A section of the facility was also set to house the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC), a surveillance centre, a research centre and administrative offices.

A closer examination of the facility by the new People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government revealed major inefficiencies in not just the physical aspect of the project, but also the deal between the former government and the owner of the former hotel, Jacob Rambarran.

In highlighting some of those inefficiencies, Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo, said there is no flow of air in the facility, so there is a possibility of everyone becoming infected. There is also no provision for oxygen in the wall, and the Audit Office, in a past inspection, had found mold in the building.
“If you put people in the ICU and that happens (mold), they may die,” said Jagdeo during a press briefing, on Friday.

“The government (APNU+AFC) spent $1.6 billion of taxpayers’ money, so we have to put the building to use, even if not for the type of purpose they intend,” said the vice-president.

The idea being considered right now is the possibility of using the facility for quarantining purposes. Only persons, who test positive for COVID-19, would be quarantined there, providing that government goes ahead with their idea.
When asked about staffing, Jagdeo said they do not have enough medical personnel to man the hospital, but if it is used for quarantining purposes, they will just need non-medical persons and a few medical professionals.

CANNOT JUST WALK AWAY
“We need to do something… you cannot expect to spend so much money and just walk away from it,” said the vice-president, noting, however, that there are plans to investigate the project, including the deal between the former government and Rambarran.
Rambarran, after the change of government on August 2, 2020, had issued a demand for G$65 million in rent for the past five months, in keeping with a lease, as he claimed that the gazetted order for compulsory acquisition has no force. He asked the government to vacate the building if it would not pay the rent of $13 million per month.

“The individual, who claims he owns the land, stayed quiet while the media was questioning the project, and suddenly he sent a lawyer’s letter to be paid millions.”
“He will have a long wait because a lot of irregularities and illegalities took place through this deal, and those will be fully investigated,” said Jagdeo.
Even as government prepares to launch an investigation into the deal, information has already surfaced that the land might have been in receivership, so Rambarran did not own it.

“How can you demand payment and you do not have a formal lease agreement… there are lots of things that do not meet the eye… it is looking like an incestuous arrangement, so they would have to answer a lot of questions,” said Jagdeo.

The idea to establish a special COVID-19 facility was put to government by the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) after a new study found that Guyana could have as many as 20,000 COVID-19 cases in a month.

The Ministry of Public Health, using the PAHO/WHO method, had initially projected 1,400 cases, but a recent study done by PAHO/WHO found that with every case, another 2.5 persons will be affected within five days if there is no partial lockdown, and if persons do not exercise effective social distancing.
“That 2.5, if I infect you, you infect 2.5 others and they infect another 2.5. Within a month we will get over 20,000; it’s a simple model but it makes a lot of sense,” said PAHO/WHO Resident Representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow, in a previous News Room report.

And should this happen, Dr. Adu-Krow said five per cent or 1000 of those infected would need intensive care, and Guyana simply does not have the capacity for this.
Guyana has so far recorded 674 cases of COVID- 19, with the deaths related to COVID-19 remaining at 22.