Arrangements for US25M specialist hospital moving apace
-single largest project ever undertaken in health sector
Written by Whitney Persaud
Wednesday, 19 October 2011 02:18
THE proposed US$25M specialist hospital in Guyana will not only be designed for the purpose of promoting medical tourism but to focus on providing specialised services to locals.
Health Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy who made the disclosure during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle , in his Brickdam, Georgetown Office yesterday, said the facility, expected to be operational within the next two years, would be built by a group of private investors.
The money that is being invested is a consolidated fund from them but the government will be providing the land while handing over all the works to the investing team, he said.
The Minister said steps have already been taken to get the project on the road, and by the group identified to be responsible for mobilisation of resources.
He added that a loan has been provided by the Indian Government and, since the hospital will be built according to specialised specifications, foreign contractors are expected to arrive here sometime soon to commence works.
Ramsammy said it would be wise to only recruit persons who are experienced in this type of construction to be successful at the job, such intervention is necessary.
“While we have had a restructure of the appearance of the health sector by our local contractors, we do not have the competency to build this hospital. While we have developed skills in putting up a basic hospital, the specialist requirement is way beyond this and we have to go to people who have done this in the past,” he explained.
The Minister, declaring that this project is the single largest ever undertaken in the health sector, boasted: “If you combine all the projects that have been completed, in terms of hospitals, they would not be equal to this that we are looking at.”
According to him: “Everything in this hospital will be specialized - the equipment, the doctors, everything will be done at this hospital.”
The Minister said this intervention would allow Guyana to have its very own surgeries performed at this new hospital and reduce the number of patients who are sent abroad to have operations done.
“We are moving to the next notch. We have already been decreasing the number of persons going abroad for surgeries and we are working to eliminate that,” he pointed out.
Ramsammy said that, with time, instead, persons will be flying into Guyana to be operated on, a trend that has already started.
He said Guyana will be providing the highest possible care necessary for its people with this new development.
Meanwhile, the Minister explained that, while nurses and doctors will be coming from overseas to provide these specialised services, young professionals would be trained to reach the required standards and provide them full-time in the new hospital, thus fulfilling its mandate.
Dr Ramsammy said that, unlike foreign specialist hospitals, the Government of Guyana will be working towards giving citizens a reduced cost, so that everyone can benefit from this new venture in the health sector.
“With foreign hospitals, locals pay the same fee that the foreigners pay. Ours will be designed to give the Guyanese public a cost that can be affordable, which is the only way we will have the services accessible to all,” he reasoned.
Dr Ramsammy said the hospital will be open to both citizens and non-citizens although Guyanese living here will be afforded a subsidy from which overseas based Guyanese may not be able to benefit.
“Public sector hospitals are free to anyone but, with the specialist hospital, persons will have to pay a fee and a structure will be set up for Guyanese who live here but this might not be applicable to those who live abroad,” he outlined.
.
-single largest project ever undertaken in health sector
Written by Whitney Persaud
Wednesday, 19 October 2011 02:18
THE proposed US$25M specialist hospital in Guyana will not only be designed for the purpose of promoting medical tourism but to focus on providing specialised services to locals.
Health Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy who made the disclosure during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle , in his Brickdam, Georgetown Office yesterday, said the facility, expected to be operational within the next two years, would be built by a group of private investors.
The money that is being invested is a consolidated fund from them but the government will be providing the land while handing over all the works to the investing team, he said.
The Minister said steps have already been taken to get the project on the road, and by the group identified to be responsible for mobilisation of resources.
He added that a loan has been provided by the Indian Government and, since the hospital will be built according to specialised specifications, foreign contractors are expected to arrive here sometime soon to commence works.
Ramsammy said it would be wise to only recruit persons who are experienced in this type of construction to be successful at the job, such intervention is necessary.
“While we have had a restructure of the appearance of the health sector by our local contractors, we do not have the competency to build this hospital. While we have developed skills in putting up a basic hospital, the specialist requirement is way beyond this and we have to go to people who have done this in the past,” he explained.
The Minister, declaring that this project is the single largest ever undertaken in the health sector, boasted: “If you combine all the projects that have been completed, in terms of hospitals, they would not be equal to this that we are looking at.”
According to him: “Everything in this hospital will be specialized - the equipment, the doctors, everything will be done at this hospital.”
The Minister said this intervention would allow Guyana to have its very own surgeries performed at this new hospital and reduce the number of patients who are sent abroad to have operations done.
“We are moving to the next notch. We have already been decreasing the number of persons going abroad for surgeries and we are working to eliminate that,” he pointed out.
Ramsammy said that, with time, instead, persons will be flying into Guyana to be operated on, a trend that has already started.
He said Guyana will be providing the highest possible care necessary for its people with this new development.
Meanwhile, the Minister explained that, while nurses and doctors will be coming from overseas to provide these specialised services, young professionals would be trained to reach the required standards and provide them full-time in the new hospital, thus fulfilling its mandate.
Dr Ramsammy said that, unlike foreign specialist hospitals, the Government of Guyana will be working towards giving citizens a reduced cost, so that everyone can benefit from this new venture in the health sector.
“With foreign hospitals, locals pay the same fee that the foreigners pay. Ours will be designed to give the Guyanese public a cost that can be affordable, which is the only way we will have the services accessible to all,” he reasoned.
Dr Ramsammy said the hospital will be open to both citizens and non-citizens although Guyanese living here will be afforded a subsidy from which overseas based Guyanese may not be able to benefit.
“Public sector hospitals are free to anyone but, with the specialist hospital, persons will have to pay a fee and a structure will be set up for Guyanese who live here but this might not be applicable to those who live abroad,” he outlined.
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