Healthcare in Shulinab to be improved with new $7M Doctors’ Quarters
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony
A $7 million newly constructed Doctors’ Quarters was commissioned on Saturday in the compound of the Shulinab Health Centre at Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), providing a home to doctors who travel to offer medical services to residents of Shulinab and contiguous areas.
This new facility forms part of the Government’s commitment to improve service delivery and access to healthcare across Guyana.
Newly-commissioned Doctors’ Quarters in Shulinab, Region Nine
During the commissioning ceremony, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony declared that with good working and living conditions within the hinterland communities, it will be easier to retain doctors and other healthcare workers who have moved to the area.
Shulinab Village is set to be further improved, with Regional Health Officer Dr. Cerdel McWatt disclosing plans to develop a seven-quarter staff complex alongside a Cottage Hospital for the community.
Meanwhile, in efforts to further improve access to care in these areas, Dr. Anthony noted, the Ministry is working closely with the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) to establish internet connectivity across the hinterland regions.
“We’ve been working closely with the NDMA, that’s under the Prime Minister’s Office, and they will be giving us 50 sites for the interior of Guyana to upgrade the connectivity,” Anthony said.
This can encourage the establishment of telemedicine sites that aim to bridge the gap between the hinterland and the coastland by allowing medical personnel in the hinterland to get real-time assistance from those working in Georgetown.
These sites typically include a computer connected to the internet via satellite technology, a digital stethoscope, a pulse oximeter, an infrared thermometer, a blood pressure monitor, mobile ultrasonography, exam cameras and other equipment.
Among those present at the commissioning of the Doctors’ Quarters were Indigenous Hinterland Coordinator Michael Gouveia; Regional Chairman Bryan Allicock; and Coordinator of the Pharmacy Assistants Programme, Sunil Singh.
