New Health Ministry likely within three years

Jan 28, 2010 News

– as Chinese makes substantial donation to improve operation

By Sharmain Cornette

A new building for the Ministry of Health will not be included in the national budget but it is the expectation of Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy that through external sources of funding, construction could be completed within the next three years.
However, he noted that the national budget will help to improve the current state of the Ministry’s operation.
At the time of the fire that destroyed the Ministry, Dr Ramsammy recounted that many people were not very optimistic that the Ministry of Health would have been able to recover in a short space of time.
But according to the Minister it was on the very day of the fire that work resumed in the buildings that were not destroyed by the fire. “A lot of people thought it would have taken us years before we recovered.”
And work to restore the Ministry has already gone past a relief and recovery phase to ensure that staffers are able to continue their duties in a reasonably comfortable environment, said Dr Ramsammy.
According to him, every staff member of the ministry is now in some semi-permanent location, meaning they will remain there for the next couple of years, pending the completion of the new building.
However, placement of the Personnel Department, an important faction of the Ministry, had to be relocated outside of the Ministry’s compound, the Minister said. He added that the Department is being accommodated at the Ministry of Health’s Annexe at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.
With construction work in progress the Personnel staffers are likely to return to the Ministry compound within the next few weeks.
Within two weeks time the Ministry will also have a new boardroom and an office for the Minister will also be constructed shortly.
According to the Minister since the razing of the building he has not had an office of his own but has rather been occupying the office of the Director of Adolescent Health, Dr Marcia Paltoo, in order to be close to his office staff. A waiting area and a canteen will also be included as well.
Meanwhile, phase two of the restoration, which is ongoing, entails garnering the necessary tools for proper staff operation.
And it was with this in mind that the Health Minister accepted a substantial donation to aid staffers’ work from the Chinese Ambassador to Guyana, Mr Zhang Jungao.
The items valued at some $6M were on display yesterday at the Ministry’s Central Supplies Unit at Kingston, Georgetown. “We are grateful to the people and the government of China for making this contribution that will reduce the need for us to go and find extra money to do this…”
And plans to offer some sort of substantial assistance first started when he returned from vacation in China last August, Ambassador Jungao disclosed yesterday.
He said that it was upon his return that he learnt that the Ministry of Health’s Brickdam headquarters was gutted by arsonists.
“I was quite shocked by the news. Later on I paid a visit to Minister Ramsammy’s office and found that all the staff members were working in a very narrow space and they didn’t have enough office equipment.”
Having considered the situation, Ambassador Jungao said efforts were made to raise some funds thus allowing for the procurement of a quality of office and electrical supplies.
Among the supplies handed over to Minister Ramsammy yesterday were chairs, air conditioning units, desks, refrigerators, along with computers, printers and copiers.
“I am sure that these facilities will be somewhat helpful to the staff members in the Ministry in getting their work done,” Ambassador Jungao said.
According to the Ambassador, Guyana and China has enjoyed a genuine friendship for more than 30 years, particularly with the health sector, a situation which is expected to continue indefinitely and in a closer way.
China’s friendship with Guyana has also extended to the improvement of the health sector in terms of equipment and personnel.
Recently a donation to improve the ophthalmology and surgical departments of the Georgetown Hospital was forthcoming.
The health sector will soon renew the medical agreement it has with China which is likely to see the Chinese making even more important contributions as new areas are developed.

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