Region Nine communities to benefit from SMART health centres

The government has announced that several health centres in Region Nine are slated to be upgraded into SMART facilities as it quickly plans to modernise Guyana’s health sector and extend access to adequate health facilities to all administrative regions.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips made the disclosure on Thursday at the commissioning ceremony for an infectious disease hospital in Lethem, Region Nine.

The prime minister said in the near future, the communities of Annai, Karasabai, and Aishalton will have Smart facilities, to enhance the delivery of services there.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the Annai and Karasabai hospitals will be upgraded to include services and facilities such as X-rays, a mini operating theatre, an inpatient facility, and rehabilitation, speech, language therapy and audiology departments.

The health centre at Aishalton will be equipped with the facilities to be able to conduct surgeries.

“If you have the requirements for minor surgery, you won’t have to come all the way to Lethem. It can be done there at Aishalton, once it is upgraded,” PM Phillips pointed out.

He noted that some US $20 million has been set aside to facilitate upgrades to the Lethem Regional Hospital over the next two to three years.

“The government has recognised that Lethem is in the centre, but we have villages in outlying areas. So, we have to upgrade the health facilities in those villages too.”

In 2021, the Lethem Regional Hospital was upgraded to a SMART facility, as part of the “Smart Healthcare Facilities in the Caribbean” project.

Additionally, the government has implemented a remote e-medicine clinic at Nappi, Parikwaranau, Yupukari, and Masakenari (Gunns Village), which are equipped with internet-enabled devices, powered by solar energy and connected to the internet using satellite technology.

The SMART hospitals initiative focuses on the provision of green technology, the reinforcement of structural and operational components, and the improvement of hospital resilience.