A SITE has been identified for the construction of a new multimillion-dollar Skeldon Hospital, as part of the government’s plan to improve accessibility and efficiency in the public healthcare system.
This was according to Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, who was at the time addressing residents of Region Six during a Cabinet outreach on Monday.
According to Dr. Anthony, the five-acre site for the new Skeldon Hospital sits just one mile away from the current hospital.
The Health Minister related that this new facility will replace the old facility and will offer patients a wider range of services.
“That hospital would have an impatient facility with about 75 beds, two operating theaters, it would have an imaging sector that would do digital x-ray and ultrasound along with a host of modern imaging equipment,” Minister Anthony said.
Added to that, the Health Minister related that the facility would be equipped with a modern accident and emergency unit.
Speaking to the timeline of the project, Dr. Anthony said that the Health Ministry is currently conducting a site assessment before disclosing a direct timeline for the project. He noted, however, that works are expected to commence in late 2022.
The Health Minister disclosed that this project is part of the government’s plans to construct or rehabilitate health facilities at Diamond, East Bank Demerara; Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo; Bath Settlement and No. 75 Village in Region Six.
He said health facilities across the country will be retrofitted to provide better accommodation for patients. The government will also be working to ensure adequate medical equipment are available and a new electronic medical record system is in place to provide better service to citizens.
In the government’s 2022 budget, $16.1 billion was allocated for the improvement of infrastructure and the expansion of health facilities across the country.
It was reported that some $12.4 billion of the budget will be used for the design and construction of a state-of-the-art pediatric and maternal hospital, as well as the upgrading of the West Demerara and Bartica regional hospitals.
Further, $1 billion has also been allocated to upgrade health centres across Guyana, with an additional $2 billion budgeted for medical and non-medical equipment.