The new maternity wing of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) was on Friday commissioned after a year-long delay due to poor work by the contractor. The new facility is aimed at improving the delivery of maternal and child health services to
Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence and other officials at the ribbon cutting of the new maternity wing of the GPHC
Guyanese citizens frequenting the GPHC.
Chief Executive Officer of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, retired Brigadier George Lewis noted that the facility was already occupied but had to be evacuated after staff discovered a number of faulty construction works. He added that the GPHC then had the contractor, PD Contracting, make the necessary amendments that were recently completed; hence, the handing over after a year-long delay.
“This project was conceived to improve the facilities offered by the Georgetown Public Hospital so that it can address the needs of our patients and those referred from other regional hospitals,” the CEO said. This project, he added, was tendered in 2014 and was awarded by National Procurement Tender Administration Board to PD Contracting Company and supervised by the consulting firm KALITECH INC. It was slated to cost $235,963,806 and was due to commence on December 31, 2014 and to be completed one year after. “It had a one-year defect liability period. Actual construction commenced in February 2015 and was completed on July 2016 and the defects period commenced after. On completion, this was meant to provide an upgraded neonatal unit, offices and classrooms,” he said.
In July last year, however, a number of defects were observed, some of which were the flaking of the epoxy on the floor and walls, cracking on several sections in the building, defective locks and doors. “The management decided to abandon this building and demand that the contractor remedy the defects; those remedial works were recently completed, and the area reoccupied on November 7 (2017) after some trying times with the contractor,” the CEO said.
Lewis added that it is his hope that contractors take greater pride in the manner in which they execute their duties so that their projects are completed in a timely fashion without any defects.
“They (contractors) must also understand that time lost is also equivalent to money lost and create serious inconveniences to end users. We are hopeful that we do not have to abandon this unit again since the absences of those facilities challenge our doctors and nurses in the delivery of quality health care,” the CEO further stated.
He also noted that the ceremony coincided with World Prematurity Day, which is observed on November 17 annually.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the GPHC Board, Kesaundra Alves, said according to the World Health Organisation, Guyana preterm babies account for 13.2 per cent of all births. She noted that the new Maternity Unit boasts an updated Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which is equipped to sustain the life of a baby greater than or equal to 28 weeks gestational age. She added that the Unit is also equipped with the relevant doctors and nurses who are trained to deal with such cases.
Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence lauded the staffers of the facility for their vigilance in exposing the shoddy works done by the contractor. Lawrence also indicated that the Ministry would go behind contractors who provide substandard works and also called for more vigilance as it relates to public projects.
“Had it not been for your vigilance we would have already paid off the contractor and would have to be dealing with the defects. We have to get the value of our money. This building should have been handed over to us a long time ago. This new facility does not just house one aspect that will extend and upgrade the services offered but it would upgrade and extend several services,” she said.
The new facility houses 50 beds, two operating rooms, the birthing room, and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on the top floor. The new wing also represents a step closer to eliminating instances where four persons – two mothers and two infants – are made to share one bed.
The new wing has six delivery rooms, two operating rooms, a recovery room, the NICU, family planning office and a training room for the Residency Programme, and it is just part one of the of the Maternity Unit upgrade.
