Karaburi Health Centre commissioned, ending long trips for basic care

The Health Ministry has officially commissioned a new health centre at Karaburi, improving access to medical care for residents who previously had to travel as far as Kumaka, even for basic services such as blood pressure monitoring and chronic disease management. With the new facility now operational, residents can receive weekly chronic disease treatment directly in Karaburi. In the coming months, a permanent Medex will be stationed at the centre and seven additional Medex personnel are also expected to return to serve the region. A doctor will visit the new Karaburi Health Centre once every month to review medical records, monitor pregnancies and conduct ultrasound outreaches, reducing the need for residents to make lengthy trips to Kumaka. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony noted the significant improvements in the region’s healthcare system. The Minister took the opportunity to emphasise the need for more trained personnel as healthcare capacity expands across the region.

“We need more people to get training because as we expand healthcare opportunities in the region, we want people from this region to get those benefits. Find young people with five subjects—we will find the training programmes and put them in this facility,” he encouraged. He also assured residents that the Ministry is committed to maintaining consistent medical support in Karaburi.

“We have assigned one of your own Medex to come back here to work at least once a week, and we have the doctor who will be here once a month to reinforce the steps we are making,” the Minister explained. He urged the community to take good care of the new facility, especially during the Christmas season. “This season is a time of goodwill, a time of giving. Even though there is no rest for the health service, we want to make sure people benefit from good things. We want you to take care of this beautiful facility so we can continue our service,” he said. He recalled how limited services once were highlighting the scores of other advancements made in the Region over the weekend. “I remember not so long ago [In this Region] —you weren’t able to get surgeries done. [Just recently] We built an operating theatre, and now we are adding digital X-ray and we just commissioned a waiting home,” Anthony said. This past weekend, a newly completed $47 million, 12-bed Maternal Waiting Home was commissioned. Located within the compound of the Kumaka District Hospital in the Moruca Sub-District, Region One (Barima-Waini), this facility is purpose-built to provide expectant mothers from remote communities with a safe and comfortable environment to stay both before and after delivery.
Diagnostic services in Region One (Barima-Waini) have been significantly enhanced with the commissioning of a state-of-the-art $60 million GE digital X-ray system at the Kumaka District Hospital.