–President Ali announces at commissioning of Mabaruma ‘Smart’ Hospital

HINTERLAND residents will soon benefit from enhanced health services, as the government, over the next three years, plans to inject some $125 billion into the enhancement of the healthcare systems in Lethem, Kato, Kamarang, Mabaruma, Moruca, Bartica and Port Kaituma.

This was according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali during his remarks at the commissioning of the Mabaruma Smart Hospital on Monday.

The Head of State said the intention is to utilise the funds to upgrade various facilities across hinterland regions.

“More than $125 billion will be invested in upgrading these facilities, giving you the best working conditions. That is important; giving the population the best possible access to healthcare services; that is what transforms societies,” President Ali said.

Along with this, he related that the government wants to ensure that every region benefits from the grants that are given to every patient that requires dialysis every year as part of the ongoing programme to ensure that dialysis patients receive quality care.

The investments, Dr. Ali said, must be made in every region to ensure that residents there have access to adequate facilities.

“So, whether you’re in Region One, Region Nine, or Region Four, you will have access to the facility that gives you this grant,” he said.

Another important part of the modernisation of healthcare is the inclusion of equipment, and ensuring that there is basic equipment at the various levels of healthcare.
To aid in this, President Ali said the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony must present a comprehensive list of all equipment that is required at all facilities, to take them to a stage where there is capacity to deliver the best possible service.

In Region One alone, the Head of State said that for the next three years, in Moruca, Mabaruma and Port Kaituma, the government will be investing almost US$20 million.

This, he said, is just the infrastructural aspect, while improvements can be expected in human resources and medical supplies, along with additional investments.

“We said that the revenue from oil and gas must be used to give our population the best possible health and education services, and that is what we’re doing. Regardless of where you live, you must have access to quality education, and quality healthcare; this is our commitment to the people of Guyana,” President Ali said.

Regarding human resource investment, the President recently announced significant adjustments to the salary scales of healthcare workers.

“We expect you to perform at the highest level, and I urge you to use this increase to recommit yourself to the people; to the patients that you care for. To recommit yourself to your profession, to recommit yourself to giving the best you can to the people that you see every single day. That is all we ask of you to do; recommit yourself to this,” the Head of State said.

He assured persons at the function that the government will continue to invest in their education and training.

‘WE NEED A SMART APPROACH’
“As I speak to you now, we are working on many other collaborative partnerships with partners across the world to bring even more training for you; taking your game a bit higher, because a ‘smart’ hospital is just one part of the equation.

“We need smart people; we need a smart type of thinking. We need a smart approach, and we need a smart vision. All of this will allow the facility itself to be optimally utilised when all of us collectively re-strategise and rethink how we deliver healthcare. So, we hope that these investments will continue to make a strong impact on the lives of people,” President Ali said.

He also expressed gratitude to the UK Government and PAHO/WHO for their continued support in Guyana’s healthcare restructuring, modernisation and transformation.

The Mabaruma Hospital is the fourth of five hospitals that are part of the Smart Hospital initiative to be commissioned with the Leonora, Diamond and Lethem facilities already completed, and works ongoing on the Paramakatoi facility.

During the commissioning, President Ali also stated that the government will not be concentrating healthcare improvements on the coast, but is creating a “hub-and-spoke” type of system to achieve a world-class healthcare system in the country.

To further create this type of system, the Head of State added that they are building a spoke mechanism which will see every region having at least a Level Three facility according to international standards, with the addition of more facilities in the regions, depending on the population size.

Meanwhile, speaking of the smart hospital initiative, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony stated that they were able to look at five facilities to be repurposed and improved.

The health minister added that there is one other facility remaining in Paramakatoi, as he noted that there is a partnership with the Army which is currently working to complete that facility.

“What this has done is we are going to use this as a demonstration of what we can do with other facilities in the country,” Dr Anthony said.

Upgrades to the Mabaruma facility amounted to some US$1 million, which saw the inclusion of a new Intensive Care Unit and the addition of more wards to the facility.

The strengthening Healthcare Facilities in the Caribbean (Smart Hospitals Programme Phase Two), which is funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the Government of the United Kingdom, allocated US$8 million to Guyana for the upgrading of five facilities.