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Linden Hospital Complex a disaster- APNU
The $2.2B Linden Hospital Complex, built to provide free health services in
Linden Hospital Complex
Region Ten, was denounced as a disaster in the National Assembly by A Partnership for National Unity’s Parliamentarian, Vanessa Kissoon.
Kissoon, in her Budget debate presentation, highlighted several ‘eyebrow raising’ issues affecting the hospital, including poor infrastructure and inadequate equipment, all impacting the delivery of quality healthcare in the Region.
The Parliamentarian took the position that it is not always about ‘big figures’ but the quality of work or services provided on the basis that citizens get value for money.
She said that there are cracks in the walls and there are no administrative blocks, psychiatric ward, mortuary or cafeteria. In addition, the Intensive Care Unit is non-operational but patients receive limited crucial care in the High Dependency Unit.
Moreover, the hospital only has one ultrasound machine but that too is non-operational. She said that the machine has not worked since the hospital was commissioned over two years ago.
Kissoon said that the absence of a capital budget for the hospital hampers management’s ability to purchase important and sensitive equipment to provide important services that would negate having to send patients to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
“Everyday babies are born…It is a blessing that these innocent creatures are not aware of the conditions they are born under or into as the maternity ward is often times so crowded that patients are crammed together in the room which comfortably holds only 10 beds.”
Kissoon emphasized that the $5M furnace installed for the destruction of sharps has been non-functional for the past eight months. The sharps, which are categorized as infectious waste, are being stored under a shed.
“A garbage pile is situated next to the furnace, which is located a few yards from the river…residents who are across from the furnace complained about nauseating odors emanating from the furnace,” she noted.
Kissoon stated that with Government changing the contractual arrangement and conditions of services, staff that proceed on maternity or extended sick leave would lose their whole six months’ gratuity.
“If they proceed on one-month sick leave or no pay leave they lose three months’ gratuity, yet workers were told that gratuity is in lieu of pension…Unlike what we are told of a choice by workers to choose which category they prefer: contractual or public service, these workers were never given a choice,” Kissoon added.
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