$34M infectious disease centre commissioned in Lethem

Prime Minister Mark Phillips recently commissioned an infectious disease centre in Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) which was constructed and equipped to the tune of $34 million.
Speaking about the facility, the Prime Minister said that it is an important investment of the Administration to expand the healthcare sector to all regions across Guyana.
“It is important that we invest in a holistic manner, in the development of your region, just like we’re doing in other regions of Guyana. And the health sector is perhaps the most important sector for us at this stage,” Phillips remarked.
He also lauded the work of the healthcare workers within the region as he highlighted the importance of their work.
“I am now more appreciative of the work that you’re doing in helping us to contain the spread of infectious diseases in Region Nine and throughout Guyana. You’re our warriors,” he shared.
He added that the need for such a facility within the region was highlighted during the COVID-19 period when close supervision of border communities was necessary to contain the spread of the disease.
According to Phillips, the pharmacy and nursing assistant programmes are set to commence soon within the region.
Also speaking at the commissioning ceremony was Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond who shared that this centre serves as a great addition to the tourism sector, as she highlighted the need for healthcare facilities to be accessible to tourists.
“When you market tourism internationally, one of the things that boost your profile is when you can say you have very nearby the tourist site, hospitals, and healthcare facilities, in case anything happens. So, [in] the case of someone coming and they wonder if they get an infection…the fact that there is somewhere nearby helps to boost our tourism. So, this is an excellent initiative for Region Nine all the way around, this really helps to augment and boost our tourism product,” Walrond shared.

Less travel
Meanwhile, Human Services and Social Security Minister Vindhya Persaud highlighted that the new facility now enables healthcare workers to treat diseases and even identify new ones. She also noted that many persons can now be treated within the region, instead of having to travel to Georgetown.
“Previously many people would have had to come to Region Four to the hospitals to determine what types of infections they were and how to treat them. Now with your own centre, you can do this right here. I think it is a wonderful development for this region and importantly it is not just a building. The fact that our Government, through the Ministry of Health, is populating our region with doctors and nurses speaks to the human resource development that is key to ensuring that it does not remain just an infectious disease centre but an operational and functional one where it can work in the interest of those who live in this region,” the Minister remarked.
She added that more significant developments are coming to the region in the near future.