Sod turned for $6.5 billion Lethem Regional Hospital

The sod was on Sunday turned for a new modern, state-of-the-art regional hospital at Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), marking a significant investment of more than $6.5 billion in the region.

In his remarks, President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali said that the new hospital is intended to elevate the healthcare standard in the region.

He reminded of his government’s mandate to not only provide access to essential services but to ensure that these services are of an exceptional quality.

The new hospital, according to President Ali, will be well equipped to achieve this vision.

It will feature two fully functional operation rooms, a modern ER, and procedure room, diagnostic imaging services, digital x-rays, portable x-rays, one CT scanning machine and three ultrasound machines, as well as outpatient specialised clinics and a digital health control room.

“What more can we do to demonstrate that we love you, care about you and want the best for each and every one of you?” the president questioned.

Further, President Ali relayed that close to $8 billion has been injected into Region Nine’s healthcare sector in the last four years.

“In many developed countries in the world, they would never invest this quantum of resources for 33,000 people. What this tells you is that geographic location or size of the population is not the bar in which we place our development. It is quality of life and making meaningful changes for every single citizen,” he said.

President Ali noted several key accomplishments, such as the reduction in patient referral rates in Georgetown and Boa Visa hospitals from over 20 per cent to 2.7 per cent and 3.7 per cent respectively.

The region has also benefitted from improved connectivity between health centres and the main hospital through the provision of 13 ATVs, 6 ambulances, 5 SUVs and other vehicles.

“This does not only mean better healthcare delivery here, but think about the reduction in the cost for medevacs. Everything is integrated,” the president said.

The government is also turning the sod for a new school in Tabatinga, and President Ali took the opportunity to explain how these events reflect the interlink between healthcare and education, as two critical elements of a country’s socioeconomic makeup.

“If the healthcare system is not strong, you can’t support healthy children in the school system. If we don’t have healthy children in the school system, we can’t support students who will come out of the system to function in the healthcare system and others in the economy,” the head of state underscored.

Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony highlighted the transformation of Region Nine’s healthcare sector under this government. He the significant decline in maternal mortality, the advancement of telemedicine and the training of local health workers as evidence.

While in 2020, some 130 surgeries were completed at the Lethem Hospital, Minister Anthony pointed out that by the end of 2023, more than 1,000 surgeries were completed.

According to the minister, this surge reflects the growing confidence in the capabilities and facilities at the regional hospital. Under the PPP/C government, the health minister pledged that these facilities will continue to improve so that advanced patient care is meted out to the people.

“We were able to fix the theatre in this hospital. We added a recovery room…these things were not there before,” he pointed out.

The minister further explained that upon assuming office, the government recognised that many of the posts countrywide were severely lacking in equipment and human capacity.

“So, we started to give every region of our country monies so that they can fix these facilities. Three years ago, we gave this region $100 million to fix up primary health care facilities. The next year, we gave $200 million, and this year, we have given $500 million to fix all the facilities across the region,” Dr Anthony said.

The construction of the hospital falls under a US$97 million IDB loan that aims to strengthen Guyana’s health care network. It is the first operation under a conditional credit line for investment projects (CCLIP).

IDB Country Representative for Guyana, Lorena Salazar, said that the hospital is a critical investment in the future well-being of the people of Region Nine, enhancing diagnostics, consultation, and patient management services.

“This new hospital demonstrates how targeted infrastructure investments can significantly improve access to quality, leading to better health outcomes in long term economic social economic development in Guyana,” she said. Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, Regional Chairman, Bryan Allicock, and Mayor of Lethem, John Macedo also delivered remarks at the ceremony.