Govt to pump US$160M to modernise major hospitals – Health Minister

The Government will be pumping US$160 million to upgrade three of Guyana’s main healthcare facilities – the Georgetown Public Hospital, New Amsterdam Hospital and Linden Hospital Complex – which are geared to modernise the healthcare services Guyanese receive.
On Friday, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony outlined that despite investments made to the healthcare sector, there is a need for the modernisation of facilities.
Upgrading these major hospitals will move the country one step closer to achieving this goal, through funding from the Inter-American Development Bank.
“With time, there are new things we would want to put in. Therefore, to modernise the hospital, we have to add new sections to that hospital. Since last year, we have been engaging the Inter-American Development Bank on how to upgrade three of our major hospitals. We have agreed broadly on a package of resources that would go into the upgrading of these facilities. We’re looking at about US$160 million that would be invested in these three facilities,” Dr Anthony stated.
According to Dr Anthony, resources have been mobilised to commence these projects. He was keen to point out that this addition will complement the current operation of the hospitals.
“Having recognised that at this point in time, we need to modernise even despite the investments we have done, we have gone ahead and started planning and mobilising the resources to make these investments. I think there are a lot of changes that people would see in the next coming years at New Amsterdam, Georgetown, and Linden hospitals. When we start doing this, it would complement what we’re already doing.”
Recently, an Inter-American Development Bank report was magnified in local reports, examining the state of the New Amsterdam Hospital and adding that the facility was void of maintenance.
This has since been debunked. The Health Minister added that Government has spent some $1 billion to fix the existing facilities. He highlighted that some of the older hospitals require a lot more resources. Specifically at New Amsterdam Hospital, in the past two years, the theatres have been fixed, the dialysis unit has been restarted and a separate building has been identified for maternal and child health.
In a statement earlier this week, Advisor to the Health Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy provided some insight into the Region Six facility’s operations when Government took office in 2020.
He noted that there were no X-ray services at New Amsterdam Hospital. The laboratory was unable to provide basic testing because either equipment was down or reagents were unavailable.
“Common medicines critical for patient care were mostly unavailable almost all the time. Beds, bathrooms, or restrooms, and the building, in general, were in need of urgent maintenance, the total environment was in a deplorable state. The operating theatre had leaks, fungus or mould had taken over the walls, basic equipment was in need of repairs, the wards were in shameful condition, even sheets and pillows were missing, and urgent painting was needed across the board. Operating room tables and delivery beds were in poor condition. The CTG fetal monitoring equipment no longer existed in the delivery rooms. The dental suite, including the broken dental chair, was in shameful condition. The oxygen therapy system was unreliable.”
He continued, “The hospital backup generator’s ATS for automatic switching on was not functioning. Washing machines, and dryers were no longer functioning. Basic medical supplies were in severe shortage. The solar panels needed rehabilitation. The hospital roofs were leaking. There was a general clutter in the hospital compound and the sewer system was overflowing. Adding to the unseemly sight in the hospital environment, the incinerator required a major overhaul and rehabilitation. The mortuary was out of service. The hospital’s ambulances were barely serviceable.”
He pointed out that since then, the hospital has seen a turnaround. A new X-ray machine has been functioning since early 2021 and earlier in 2022 a new mobile digital X-ray was procured and functioning. Presently, a new fixed-site digital X-ray is being installed.
A CT machine has been provided and operationalised, laboratory equipment has been procured, ECG equipment, ultrasound machines, CTG for foetal monitoring in the delivery rooms, and better systems for supplies have been put in place.
Additionally, Dr Ramsammy penned, “Basic maintenance work on the existing operating theatres have been done, new maternity building, with three new operating theatres, is about to be commissioned, operating room tables, new delivery beds and new ICU beds have been procured, new ventilators and anaesthetic machines have been installed. A new oxygen therapy system is in place. The ATS for the backup generator has been installed. The solar system now contributes 20 per cent of the energy needs of the hospital. There are now new ambulances for the hospital. A new chemotherapy building will be operationalised in a few weeks.”