In a landmark move to decentralise and modernise healthcare delivery, the Ministry of Health officially broke ground on Friday for the construction of the new $708.6 million Industry Polyclinic, a two-storey state-of-the-art medical facility that will significantly upgrade healthcare services on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).
3-D rendering of the Industry Polyclinic (Photo: GPHC)
The facility will replace the current Industry Health Centre and will see the establishment of the country’s first sleep lab. The facility will also offer a wide range of other modern health services including x-ray and ultrasound imaging, asthma bay, physiotherapy, dietary and nutrition support, a dental suite, and pulmonary and lung function testing (including spirometry and bronchial provocation testing).
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony emphasised that the facility is another testament of the Government delivering on its promise to provide modern, world-class healthcare across the country.
“When we talk about world-class health care, we are not just paying lip service, we are investing to make sure that we can develop these types of facilities,” he stated.
“But we have to make sure that we get people to come. We hope that when we put these types of equipment in the neighbourhoods next to you, you make sure that you go out and get checked. If people don’t come to utilise the facility, then we are not going to change the outcome for the diseases that we have.”
Minister Anthony highlighted that in just the past few years, the Government has not only built three major new health facilities on the East Coast but has also upgraded all over the over 30 health centres in the region.
“That is a remarkable achievement,” he said.
Once completed, the new Polyclinic will serve residents of Industry, Cummings Lodge, and surrounding communities and is poised to become a benchmark for modern primary care in Guyana. The facility will span two floors of 10,000 square feet each, and feature accessibility amenities. It will be outfitted with a fully electronic health record system, connected to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and other regional facilities under a “One Patient, One Record” approach. During the event, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GPHC, Robbie Rambarran, hailed the project as a long-overdue response to longstanding infrastructure constraints at the Industry Health Centre. He noted that when GPHC assumed management of the Industry Health Centre in 2011, the facility averaged fewer than 120 patients per month. That number has since skyrocketed to over 2100 patients monthly, underlining the need for a larger, more modern space.
“We are not just constructing a building, we are constructing a healthier future,” said Rambarran.
“This is a commitment to meeting the evolving healthcare needs of the community and bringing critical health care closer to communities that deserve it.”
Rambarran also emphasised that once completed, the new polyclinic services are expected to significantly reduce the strain on public hospitals, particularly the GPHC.
“Some of these services are at GPHC and nowhere else so this is to decentralise the services,” Rambarran said.
Construction of the facility is expected to last one year, with a target completion date of July 2026. The contractor for the project is Satar Mohamed and Son Construction and Hardware Supplies, with consultancy services provided by Innovative Engineering Consultancy Services. During the construction period, the existing Industry Health Centre will temporarily relocate to a new building along the railway embankment.
Also addressing the gathering was Dr Saskia Sertimer, Head of the Industry Health Centre, and Sheila Veersammy Industry Constituency Councillor.
Sertimer described the project as a “vision built around the needs of the people”, while Veersammy praised the Government’s consistent investment in the East Coast’s health infrastructure.
