By Bebi Shafeah Oosman

THE construction of a new nursing school at the site of the old New Amsterdam Hospital is part of ongoing efforts to improve healthcare delivery across the country, and is expected to be completed sometime next year.
Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony has emphasised that the new institution will be providing modern facilities and resources to train nurses and medical workers effectively.

The aim of this initiative is to enhance the quality of healthcare services by ensuring that nursing professionals are well equipped with the latest knowledge and skills.
The project reflects the government’s commitment to advancing the healthcare system, and addressing the growing demand for skilled healthcare workers.

Minister Anthony, while in Berbice last week, said that the region has outgrown the current school.
“We have started building a new nursing school where the old New Amsterdam Hospital used to be, and we are hoping that by next year, we can have that building up, and that we will shift the facility across there, so that we can make that new school operational,” he said.
According to the minister, the new structure will have a nice lecture hall to host future graduations, as presently there is no such facility in place for the current nursing school.

“We will also have a very good simulation ‘lab’ there, and we will also have a computer centre that will be in that facility. So, those of you who would want to do research and all of that will be able to go there and get the latest research and so forth,” he said.
“So, we are improving what we’ve been doing for you,” he added, pointing to how future nursing students will benefit from the improvements.

Back in October, Regional Chairman David Armogan had announced that preparatory work had commenced on the new nursing school, with a contractor from Corentyne having been awarded the project.
Armogan, after a Regional Democratic Council (RDC) statutory meeting, had noted that land clearing had been completed, and filling was slated to commence shortly.

The project, he’d said, aims to establish a nursing school on the old hospital site, along with accommodation to allow nurses from outside the region to live and study within the district.
The new nursing school is part of the government’s plans to boost healthcare across the country, and it is being constructed simultaneously with a new hospital in the township.

In January, President Dr. Irfaan Ali had turned the sod for the construction of a US$161 million hospital in New Amsterdam, which facility is intended to be a major hub linking both the regional and country-wide healthcare facilities.
“This hospital in Region Six is expected to be the hub, and everything around it will be the mechanisms. We will have all the specialists and they will all be connected through telemedicine to every other facility in this region whether in Canje Creek or Baracara, wherever you are. Those health centres and hospitals will be connected to this hospital through telemedicine,” the Head of State had said.

Once completed, the new facility will be linked to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), which will be connected to the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and other major hospitals around the world through telemedicine.
Dr. Ali had told residents that the goal is to provide optimum healthcare services to the general public. This major investment, he said, coincides with several other upgrades to critical infrastructure in the region.

The President had stressed the importance of humaneness and service in medicine, urging the Ministry of Health and those within the health sector to prioritise improving care and service quality to match investments.
Meanwhile, while the construction of the state-of-the-art hospital at New Amsterdam is currently underway, plans are already in motion for the future of the existing hospital buildings, which are set to be repurposed as a campus for the University of the West Indies (UWI).
This exciting development will create an academic hub in New Amsterdam, fostering education and research opportunities in various healthcare fields, while contributing to the growth and modernisation of the community.

Minister Anthony had said, “We have just entered into an agreement with the University of the West Indies, and the University of the West Indies is going to use these buildings to be able to establish a University of the West Indies nursing school, so when you graduate there, you get your UWI degree.”
Additionally, he’d announced that there will be a University of the West Indies Medical School and School of Pharmacy at the location as well.
“So, we are hopeful that you will start finding people who would want to take these courses, because you don’t have to travel far now. There’s no excuse; all you have to do is go across where the New Amsterdam Hospital is,” he said.