MORE than 145,000 outpatient visits and 18,500 inpatient admissions have been recorded since the commissioning of six regional hospitals across Guyana.
This is according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali, who on Tuesday told a press conference that the facilities located at Lima Sands (Region Two), De Kinderen (Region Three), Diamond and Enmore (Region Four), Number 75 (Region Six), and Bath (Region Five) have recorded significant service volumes.
“Those are just some of the numbers to demonstrate to you how important these investments were, and the level of care and service that these investments are delivering to the people of Guyana; to the people of these regions, and these investments have revolutionised healthcare in our country,” the President said.
Notably, more than one million laboratory tests were completed, while approximately 82,200 X-rays were conducted.
Some 37,700 ultrasounds were performed, along with 13,600 CT scans.
The hospitals provided more than 101,000 specialist clinic attendances, and facilitated approximately 2,400 baby deliveries.
Meanwhile, average waiting times were reported at approximately 10 minutes for emergency care, and 30 minutes for outpatient services.
“If you speak to people who utilise these services predominantly, overwhelmingly, they will tell you all of the positive stories,” he said, adding:
“There are challenges, but these challenges are not at a scale that some would want to reflect it as. Overwhelmingly, the performance of these hospitals, the medical teams, the lab teams, the nurses has been exceptional, and I want to commend the entire team who are working around the clock to deliver better healthcare.”
Diamond Regional Hospital recorded the highest inpatient workload, with 4,705 admissions, and the highest surgical workload, with 967 surgeries.
Meanwhile, Enmore Regional Hospital recorded the highest outpatient activity, with 36,670 visits, and the highest X-ray workload, with 21,131 X-rays.
According to statistics provided by the Head of State, testing volumes included more than 351,000 laboratory tests at Number 75 Regional Hospital, and more than 289,000 at Lima Regional Hospital.
De Kinderen Regional Hospital completed 8,760 ultrasounds and 61,700 laboratory tests.
Bath Regional Hospital recorded 25,601 outpatient consultations, along with more than 58,755 laboratory tests and 11,024 X-rays.
Construction of several new facilities is also ongoing. The Moruca Hospital in Region One is 46.5 per cent complete, while the Kato Hospital in Region Eight is 51.9 per cent complete, and the Lethem Hospital is 49.8 per cent complete.
Construction of the West Demerara Hospital is currently 21 per cent complete.
He noted that the Bartica Regional Hospital has a contract value of $254 million. While formal construction has not yet started, the preliminary design is 95 per cent complete.
