– President says land secured for Upper Mazaruni facility; warns delayed projects will be terminated

PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali has announced that two major hospital projects earmarked for Region Seven are moving ahead, including a new state-of-the-art hospital in the Upper Mazaruni and a $7.6 billion regional hospital in Bartica, as the government intensifies efforts to improve healthcare delivery in hinterland communities.
Addressing residents during a recent government outreach in Bartica, the President disclosed that the administration has now secured the land needed to proceed with the long-awaited hospital project in the Upper Mazaruni.
“We have finally gotten the letter from the Toshao in Warawatta giving us the ownership to 10 acres of land, so we can now build the state-of-the-art hospital,” President Ali told residents.
With the land transfer completed, he said government can now advance to the implementation stage.
“We can now proceed with the implementation of that project, the new state-of-the-art hospital,” he added.
The President also confirmed that plans are advancing for a 50-bed hospital in Bartica that will provide round-the-clock healthcare services and advanced diagnostic capabilities.
“We’ve already found the site for the new state-of-the-art hospital, the 50-bed hospital with a 24-hour lab that will cost $7.6 billion, with CT scans, [and] pharmacy… right there in Bartica,” he announced.
According to President Ali, the investments form part of a broader effort to improve the quality of healthcare and other public services across Region Seven.
“We are focusing heavily now on quality service delivery, where when you go to the health centre, you must feel the quality of the healthcare investment. You go to the school, you must feel the quality,” he said.
UNDERPERFORMING PROJECTS TO BE CUT
The President noted that regular engagements with hinterland communities and local leaders continue to shape the government’s development agenda, ensuring that investments reflect the needs of residents.
He added that communities in the Upper Mazaruni will also benefit from wider government investments in public services and energy infrastructure.
“The upper [Mazaruni] people also will benefit,” President Ali said while outlining plans for expanded service centres and off-grid energy systems.
The new hospitals are expected to significantly improve access to healthcare services in the region, reducing the need for patients to travel to Georgetown for specialist treatment and advanced diagnostic services.
Meanwhile, President Ali used the outreach to issue a stern warning to contractors responsible for public infrastructure projects that are lagging behind schedule.
He said Cabinet recently reviewed the status of projects across Region Seven and has instructed that contracts showing significant delays be terminated.
“Cabinet met [with] the different project heads on all the projects across the region, and projects that are more than four months behind schedule and after the assessment by the supervisors, taking into consideration time delay as a result of airstrips, weather, everything… those that are still behind schedule, those projects will be terminated,” the President said.
He stressed that government will move quickly to ensure delayed works are completed.
“Those projects will be terminated, and contractors will be assigned to complete those projects… We have to get this right and get these projects done,” he asserted.
MORE RESPONSIVE
According to the President, stronger monitoring mechanisms have already been introduced within the administration to improve accountability and project delivery.
“We have a tracking mechanism that is allowing us to track how we’re delivering on these issues,” he said.
Ultimately, President Ali said the objective is to ensure residents of Region Seven receive timely services and benefit fully from government investments.
“At the end of the day, we want a government that is incredibly responsive to the citizens of Region Seven,” he said.
The planned hospitals, together with stricter oversight of public works projects, form part of the government’s wider strategy to improve healthcare access, strengthen infrastructure and enhance the quality of life for residents in hinterland and riverain communities.