THE Government of India has approved for Guyana a US$17.5 million (GY$3.6 billion) Line of Credit to execute modernisation works on three of the country’s primary health care facilities.
According to High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Dr. K.J Srinivasa, the contract has already been awarded for the preparation and submission of designs for the upgrades, which will take effect at three hospitals – the Suddie Regional Hospital in Essequibo, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); the West Demerara Regional Hospital in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and the Bartica District Hospital in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
“That company will most probably sign that agreement within the next couple of weeks, and then start its work; it has six months to present its detailed project design for the three hospitals,” the High Commissioner revealed to this newspaper during a recent interview.
He said that once the designs are finalised, the India’s Government will move towards tendering for awarding of the contract to undertake the actual construction works required for the upgrades.

The Indian diplomat explained that once completed, the hospitals will boast of environmentally friendly operations that utilise best practices in energy and water consumption, as well as waste disposal, among others.
The fully modernised hospitals will also benefit from a fully electronic records system, which will make it easier to compile and track patient information. “This is being done in India in huge scales,” Dr. Srinivasa informed.
Previous reports have indicated that the Suddie Hospital stands to benefit from a sum of US$8 million which will go towards the construction of a new ambulatory and in-patient centre and diagnostic care facility.
More than $4.5 million has been earmarked for the same purposes at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, while the Bartica Hospital is expected to receive about $3 million for expansion of the existing building along with the construction of a number of new structures in the compound. The projects are all expected to commence next year.
The modernisation of the three India-financed hospitals will complement the government’s ongoing efforts to convert all of its medical institutions into climate-resilient facilities. The ‘SMART’ hospital conversion project has already commenced with five, namely the Leonora Hospital, also located in Region Three, the Mabaruma Hospital in Region One (Barima-Waini), the Lethem

Regional Hospital in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), the Paramakatoi Health Centre in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), and the already completed Diamond Diagnostic Hospital.
These five hospitals are being upgraded under an $835M (US$4.175 million) project, funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID).
Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony had recently informed the Guyana Chronicle that works on the latter-mentioned hospitals are moving rapidly apace, and should be wrapped up by the end of the year.
This means that within the next few months, Guyana will boast of at least five hospitals that are climate-resilient and energy-efficient. The hospitals will all be outfitted with the requisite infrastructure to guard against flooding, as well as reduce reliance on the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) by resorting to renewable energy, and enabling the use of rainwater for its day-to-day functions. The hospital conversions are said to be directly linked to the government’s fight against climate change, having recognised the detrimental impact that poor environmental practices have on human health. Already, 89 other health facilities across the country have been assessed for SMART conversions.