New, modern Corentyne hospital will see work beginning this year

Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony assured residents of East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six)
will be the beneficiaries of improved health infrastructure in several parts of the region,
including a new modern hospital at No.75 Village Corentyne.
Dr. Anthony disclosed that four acres of land will be used for the construction of the hospital for
which resources were provided in this year’s national budget. The health sector received $73.2B
of which $12.4B will be spent on developing six new modern hospitals around the country.
Minister Anthony, at a recent function in the region, noted that significant investments were
made towards repairing different sections of the Skeldon hospital and enhancing the facilities
there.
“We recognise that there are challenges there, and one of the things that we have started to do
was to repair different sections of that hospital. Recently a new ward was opened and all the
facilities that we have there we have enhanced, and that type of work is going to continue,” Dr.
Anthony said.  He continued, “But we also recognised another fundamental truth and that is, we
have outgrown the place that we have at Skeldon, and if we are going to tinkle with the things
that we have there, change a couple of boards, change something here and there, it’s not going to
give us the kind of hospital that we need to deliver modern type of health care, and so the
government has taken a decision that we are going to build a brand-new hospital for that area.”
Minister Anthony said, the new hospital will have modern accident and emergency, outpatient
sections. “You would have an inpatient setting of about 75 beds, and you would also have beds
for the key specialty obstetrics and gynaecology, surgery, internal medicine and so forth, but we
will also have three theatres,” Dr. Anthony noted.
The health minister pointed out that the new hospital will also be outfitted with a laboratory, a
CT scanner and other imaging facilities. Images taken will be backed up which could be
accessed by doctors in Georgetown. “You will see us starting work this year, and very shortly,
we want between a two-year period to substantially complete all of this project, so there is
opportunity for people to start thinking about jobs that will be created for this new facility the
way that we will want to run it,” Dr. Anthony assured.
He revealed that training opportunities will also be provided for all levels of medical
professionals this year. Minister Anthony is hopeful that persons from the region will grasp the
opportunities to serve. “It’s not only about infrastructure, it is also the human resource that we
need to ensure that we can lift the quality of healthcare in the region and the country as a
whole,” Dr Anthony added.