Govt moving to upgrade Diamond, Leonora diagnostic centres

Government is moving to have the Diamond and Leonora diagnostic centres upgraded soon, improving the delivery of healthcare services to patients.

According to Government, the Public Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Communities Ministry, will soon advance works in Jawalla, Kako, Katchikamo, Port Kaituma, Kato, and Kurukubaru, to facilitate improved living accommodation for health professionals in the hinterland.

The Finance Ministry’s 2016 mid-year report said that upgrade works are also expected to commence shortly at the Diamond and Leonora diagnostic centres, while work is ongoing at the Port Kaituma Hospital Complex. The latter is expected to be completed by year-end.

The interventions, at Diamond and Leonora, are expected to improve the efficiency of healthcare service delivery to citizens in the immediate and surrounding areas, by reducing the congestion at the country’s national referral hospital – the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) – and the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH). Further, several other projects are scheduled for the second half of the year. These include the upgrading of the Tuberculosis (TB) Step Down Care Facility at the WDRH, along with the rehabilitation of a building to permanently house the Mental Health Secretariat, the report stated.

“With regard to the modernisation of three select primary healthcare facilities, designs and building plans were completed and sent to the Government of India for consideration. Finally, the Government is reviewing options for the way forward for the Specialty Hospital Project, in light of the debarring of the prospective contractor by the World Bank and concerns expressed by the Government of India,” the Government Information News Agency (GINA) reported.

For the first half of the year, the Health Ministry, according to GINA, expended a total $11.5 billion of its $28 billion National Budget. Of this sum, $407 million was spent on the construction, rehabilitation, upgrading and maintenance of health infrastructure countrywide.  This included the construction of a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit for cardiac patients at GPHC, where progress also continues to be made towards the completion of the cardiac theatre and the extension of the Maternity Unit, where an additional 50-bed capacity will benefit expectant mothers.

Additionally, $189 million was also spent on the purchase and maintenance of medical equipment, GINA highlighted.