Works at $6.6B Bath Regional Hospital behind schedule

More than 10 months after President Dr Irfaan Ali turned the sod for the construction of the $6.6 billion Bath Regional Hospital in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); works are progressing smoothly but behind schedule.
The contracting firm was expected to have completed the structural work by the end of 2024, but almost one year after work was scheduled to have commenced less than 30 percent of the work has been completed.
According to an official close to the project, work should have been more than 70 percent completed at this stage.

Nevertheless, Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal told reporters that the structure is being elevated at the moment. The contractors are on-site, daily.
“Works are progressing smoothly. The structure is being erected at the moment, the contractor is on-site and daily there is work progressing. When that facility is completed residents of Region Five will no longer have to travel to New Amsterdam of Georgetown for specialised services,” the Chairman who was speaking at the sidelines of the Region Five Regional Democratic Council monthly statutory meeting on Thursday told reporters.
The Bath Regional Hospital is one of six State-funded Regional Hospitals being constructed across the country by Chinese companies Sinopharm International and the China CAMC Engineering Company Limited. In total, $40 billion will be spent on the six facilities.
Currently, there are about 30 persons working at the Bath Regional Hospital with 50 percent being locals.
According to the Regional Chairman, the new facility at Naarstigheid is going to bring tremendous benefits to the region apart from improved health care.
“Job creation, that is one; many of our locals within this region will be employed so it will bring great opportunities for our people and also other services will be needed and the small man on the ground will benefit too like the taxi drivers and persons that provide other small services like pharmacies among others will emerge and benefit from this massive project.”
Ramphal pointed out that health care throughout the region is being improved with upgrades to the existing hospitals in the region.
Currently, there are two Regional Hospitals in Region Five; the Fort Wellington Hospital and the Mahaicony Hospital.
At the Mahaicony Hospital, there has been an extension to include a theater allowing for minor surgeries to be done there.
The regional chairman also gave an update on the other health facilities that are under construction in the region. These include health centers in several communities.
“And these are communities which never benefited from such facilities. In the Abary area which is approximately 8-10 miles from the Fort Wellington Hospital a brand-new health centre has been constructed and it will be furnished this year so we will have that in operation very soon. The same goes for Mahaicony in the High Park area and within the Mahaica River area where the construction has also been completed and those facilities will be furnished and put into use very soon.”
Meanwhile, the Bath Regional Hospital when completed will have 75 inpatient rooms, three theatres, a modern medical laboratory, a neonatal unit, a 24-hour accident and emergency department and several outpatient departments. (G4)