The United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) under the Caribbean Smart Health Care Facilities Project is expected to invest some $837 million to outfit five healthcare facilities in Guyana, so they can withstand the effects of natural and manmade disasters to offer service.
The project is funded by the UK’s Department for International Development and will be implemented by Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation’s (PAHO/WHO) Department of Emergency Preparedness and
From left: PAHO/WHO Country representative, Dr William Adu-Krow; Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence and British High Commissioner Greg Quinn
Disaster Relief in partnership with the Public Health Ministry. The £38 million project is aimed at providing safer, greener health facilities to deliver care in disasters. It is expected to be implemented in seven Caribbean countries namely Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
PAHO/WHO Country representative, Dr William Adu-Krow, said some 71 facilities were assessed and only five were selected, adding that the project commenced in 2016 and will be completed in May of 2020.
“A safe hospital is one whose services remains accessible and functions at maximum capacity in the same infrastructure during and following the impact of a major emergency event. This employs structural stability, the ongoing availability of basic services and organisation within the hospital. In green hospitals air quality improves, water and energy costs decline and peoples’ working conditions improve through enhance physical access to hospitals, improved access to safe water and improved safety conditions,” Adu-Krow noted.
Additionally, Dr Adu-Krow said they would have already held a seminar with contractors and design firms to educate them on the procurement procedure to follow when bidding for the project. Thus far, four companies have been shortlisted and according to Dr Adu-Krow, they are in the process of evaluating the bids.
“It is one of the objectives of the project that this concept of smart facilities will be adopted by other sectors such as education, public infrastructure and tourism. We see the concept as an opportunity to attract funding and we hope that other donors will support it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence said healthcare facilities are smart when the structural and operational safety are linked with green interventions. She explained that they are not building new facilities rather they are upgrading the existing ones. It is anticipated, once completed, the health facilities will see a tremendous reduction in operational costs and Lawrence noted that those savings would be plugged back into the maintenance of the facilities.
“The chosen institutions are well positioned to fully optimise the benefits of the smart concept… the anticipated benefits from the slash in operating cost means there will be huge saving which the sector can then use to maintain the respective facilities. Maintenance has always been a challenge,” she noted.
She said under the programme, the Leonora Cottage Hospital, the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, Mabaruma and Lethem Regional Hospitals along with the Paramakatoi Health Centre will be retrofitted as a part of the smart plan.
“The smart hospital initiative is designed to provide the health sector with increased protection against disasters to which the region is prone and further provide protective cover against the vagaries of climate change,” Lawrence said.
“Under the tripartite agreement, there were strict selection criteria to be met for the five identified institution to qualify for retrofitting into a smart hospital. When evaluated using the Health Safety Index, all institutions received a classification of C indicating that urgent intervention measures were needed. The hospitals current safety levels are inadequate to protect the lives of patients and staff during and after a disaster. Since none of them obtained the minimum score to be qualified as a green facility, then all of them must be retrofitted,” the Minister added.
Additionally, British High Commissioner Greg Quinn noted the project is designed to make the health facilities across the Caribbean more efficient and more resilient to natural disasters.
“Over the next few years the UK will support efforts across the region to build and improve 50 facilities in seven countries. It includes mundane work such as strengthening roofs, installing hurricane shelters, improving drainage, improving access and improving power supply and safety. At the same time as improving resilience, we will also take time to improve power efficiency,” he noted.
The proposed cost for the retrofitting of the five institutions equates to approximately US$4.1 million with the approximate figures for Leonora Cottage Hospital – US$950,000; Lethem Regional Hospital – US$910,000; Mabaruma Regional Hospital – US$827,000; Paramakatoi Health Centre –US$580,000 and the Diamond Diagnostic Centre – US$920,000
However, it was noted that it is too early to determine a concrete figure considering a number of factors.
