-President Ali announces; says sod-turning for new NA Hospital, signing of contract for Wismar-Mackenzie four-lane bridge on list

AS the government continues to assiduously work towards the goal of ensuring that Guyana sees new heights within the development arena, President Dr Irfaan Ali has announced that signing of the contract for the new four-lane Wismar-Mackenzie bridge at Linden and sod-turning for the New Amsterdam Hospital are among several major projects that will be commissioned later this week.

He made these disclosures on Tuesday evening during a live statement to the nation on his Facebook page.

“During the course of this week, already in the first week of the year, you will see some major projects being commissioned or signed into operation. For example, before the end of this week, we will sign the contract for the new Wismar bridge.

This is a tremendously important investment, a major public infrastructure investment for our country, for Region 10,” he stated.

Last week, Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill disclosed that mobilisation works for the much-anticipated four-lane Region 10 bridge, is expected to begin in 2024.

The bridge will connect Wismar to Mackenzie, and is set to significantly reduce traffic congestion as the current bridge has only a one-vehicle lane.

The contract has been awarded to China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co. Ltd, and works are expected to be completed in 24 months.

The President then went on to say: “Before the end of this week, we’ll be turning the new sod for the new, New Amsterdam hospital… This will be a major facility for Region Six.”

Notably, the contract for the New Amsterdam Hospital was signed in July between the Ministry of Health and VAMED Engineering, an Austria-based company.

The New Amsterdam facility will have approximately 220 beds with five operating theatres, along with a cardiac suite and a section for training to be conducted on site for healthcare professionals.

Additionally, the new facility will have approximately 120 beds for psychiatric patients as the current facilities that exist in New Amsterdam will then be closed.
The existing hospital is the most advanced in Region Six and it is the biggest hospital in Guyana after the Georgetown Public Hospital, which is the country’s main referral hospital.

Committed to its promise to build a world-class healthcare system in Guyana, the government is moving ahead with the construction of seven new hospitals that will deliver quality health service to Guyanese in all regions.

The Irfaan Ali-led administration has presented a host of proposals for the health system and said this project is part of a larger $37.2 billion initiative that will modernise the regional healthcare system in Guyana.

The new facilities will be built at Anna Regina, Region Two; De Kinderen, Region Three; Diamond and Enmore, Region Four; Bath, Region Five, and Skeldon, Region Six. Each of the new regional hospitals will be 65,000 square feet.

Moreover, the government since 2020 has moved to continuously upgrade primary-care access at more than 240 facilities across the country, including health centres, local area hospitals, and health posts.

According to the government, the health sector will continue to see massive infrastructural and human-resource development in all regions as Guyana continues its upward trajectory.

Over the next few years, according to President Ali, the government wants to train and attract a significant number of healthcare professionals to provide not just healthcare, but the best, world-class medical services to the people of Guyana.