Specialty hospital is first casualty of 2013 budget cuts | | Print | |
Written by Kwesi Isles |
Wednesday, 17 April 2013 21:24 |
A GUY$1.25B earmarked for a specialty hospital was the first allocation to be cut from the 2013 budget during consideration of the budget estimates. The opposition parties reduced the sum to zero after a brief period of drama over an APNU motion to cut the allocation was disallowed on the grounds that βone clear dayβ had not passed before it could be entertained as proscribed in the Standing Orders. The House ended up voting on the amendment tabled by the AFC on Friday. The opposition MPs had argued that the information provided by Health Minister Dr. Bheri Ramsaran and the reality on the ground differed. There was also a contention that documents previously presented to the House were at odds with the ministerβs statements. Finance minister Dr. Ashni Singh rose and sought to clarify the issue noting that there were two different contracts for the hospital, one for site preparation which was being funded locally and went to Bovell Construction and one for the actual construction which went to Surendra Engineering and was being funded by the EXIM Bank of India. |