43 Region 1 health centres to be upgraded in 3 months

Within three months, 43 health posts and centres in Region One (Barima-Waini) will be upgraded as part of a $100 million project by the Health Ministry.
Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony announced that an assessment was conducted to determine the state of affairs at these health units. Thereafter, a decision was made to rehabilitate the facilities for patients. In total, the region has 51 such health centres.

“This year, having consulted with the region, we recognised that many of these facilities require some minor upgrading; things like a place for people to wait safely, to have washrooms while they wait. We will be upgrading 43 health centres with the $100 million that we have provided them,” Dr Anthony informed on Friday.
Last week, it was announced that 16 health centres in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) would also be upgraded as part of another $100 million project.
For the year 2022, Government plans on injecting a whopping $73 billion into the healthcare sector. This is an enormous increase from the $53.5 billion in 2021. From this figure, $1 billion was set aside for upgrades to health centres and an additional $2 billion for medical and non-medical equipment.
There are several larger projects on the Ali-led Administration’s agenda, geared at decentralising healthcare and enabling easier access for Guyanese.  A major initiative is the construction of a new $2 billion multi-specialty hospital at Suddie, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
The Governments of Guyana and Austria were also finalising talks in relation to the construction of a much anticipated maternal and children hospital in Georgetown.
Meanwhile, the smart hospital project is in its final stage, linking structural and operational safety and disaster resilience, while maintaining a “green” status in operations. Hospitals at Diamond, Leonora, Mabaruma, Paramakatoi and Lethem were upgraded under this project. The concept comes under an $835 million grant funded by the former United Kingdom Department for International Development and implemented by PAHO.
Funded through a grant from the Indian Government, upgrades to the West Demerara Hospital in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Suddie Hospital in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and Bartica Hospital in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) will also materialise.