Moruca Maternal Waiting Home to be constructed this year

… Mabaruma Hospital to be Regional Teaching facility – RHO

The construction of the eagerly anticipated Maternal Waiting Home, which was approved for Moruca, North West District, Region One (Barima-Waini), is expected to commence later in the year.

This was according to the Regional Health Officer (RHO), Dr Latchmie Lall, who said that despite the long wait, she is confident that the project will start this year.
Dr Lall said that while the project had not yet been awarded, the engineer’s estimate is $40 million and hopefully, once the National Procurement and Tender Board moves swiftly on it, it will be awarded, thus ensuring that work can commence.
“The engineer estimate has been completed and the last thing that I am aware of is that it was at the National Tender Board so we in Health Services is anxiously awaiting the awarding of this contract so that work can commence as the residents are eager to have this home constructed,” she said.
The Maternal Waiting Home is expected to accommodate the high number of women who are turning up pregnant in Region One with the primary objective of serving as a transition point between the hinterland residents as they await delivery.
As such, it will contain 14 beds along with other rooms to address several maternal-related issues. The Waiting Home is also geared at reducing several challenges that women face at home while waiting to deliver, thus enhancing the region’s delivery record.
The RHO said the construction of the home will further enhance health care, noting that a number of women who are living in far-flung communities usually encounter severe challenges when they are approaching their delivery dates and it would ensure that they can access a safe delivery as they would be surrounded by professional medical help.
“This Maternal and Waiting Home is critically important to Region One as we have had some deaths and other challenges over the years and it is our view that with the completion of the waiting home it would certainly enhance deliveries of babies,” Dr Lall said.
Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer, Randy Storm said that the Maternal Waiting Home is an eagerly anticipated project for Region One. He said that the National Procurement and Tender Board is expected to award this project soon and anticipates that with the completion of the project it will certainly boost health care in the region.
“This is a critically important project for Region One and we are confident that it will boost health care within the region. This is an eagerly anticipated project for Region One and we are confident that a significant number of women will certainly benefit from this project,” the REO said.
REO Storm stressed that the Waiting Home continues to be one of the region’s top 2020 priority projects. He further disclosed that another major project that is expected to be completed early this year is a Conference Hall.
The hall is being constructed to the tune of $10.958 million and is being constructed by Yahweh Conglomerate. Engineer Murwin Allison said that the project is moving ahead nicely and he is satisfied with the quality of work thus far.
This project, the REO said, will help in enhancing and improving health care. Dr Lall in commenting on this project said that these projects are all geared at significantly boosting health care in Region One. She disclosed that the Mabaruma Hospital is looking to become a regional teaching hospital in 2020.
“Once we can put the necessary accommodations in place, we can have consultants and student residents coming at intervals to be a part of Mabaruma Regional Hospital. We also want to have our theatre up and functioning, which will offer surgical services to the region,” Dr Lall stressed.
The RHO said that plans are afoot to have an ICU unit established. This, she said, will increase the hospital’s capabilities in addressing increased medical challenges facing patients, thus the establishment of the Intensive Care Unit. She said that with the ICU, the hospital will better handle increased medical difficulties.
“We are also hoping that with approval from the budget committee in having the ICU unit up and functional as well next year at Mabaruma Regional Hospital. We have recently completed a lab at Mathews Ridge there is a district hospital, so we are looking to have an X-ray machine coming there and a number of other small services being provided in the Matarkai subdistrict,” the RHO opined.
Dr Lall reiterated that the Port Kaituma Regional Hospital should be completed shortly, disclosing that the staff would be able to move over and occupy the new facility. “We were given a deadline of November this year, but I think that we might be having some setbacks and hopefully we should have this hospital ready by the end of December 2019,” she declared.