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GWI helping to address water woes at Mabaruma Hospital
The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is throwing its water providing support behind the Ministry
Dr Kay Shako
of Public Health. According to information from the Ministry a new arrangement between the Regional Health Authorities in Region One (Barima- Waini) and GWI will now see 8,500 gallons of water being pumped daily from a special overhead tank to the Mabaruma Regional Hospital.
The assistance by GWI materialized yesterday. According to Regional Health Officer of the Region, Dr. Cerdel Mc Watt, the hospital commenced utilizing the arrangement at 09:00 hours.
The strategic collaboration is one that was made public by Director of Regional Health Services, Dr. Kay Shako, who explained that the new arrangement was made after efforts to rectify the problem by the technical personnel on the ground were unsuccessful.
“GWI will pump 8,500 gallons of water daily into a special overhead tank which will supply the Mabaruma Hospital only. The hospital will distribute the water as needed within the complex,” Dr. Shako explained.
The collaboration is one that was prompted into existence after the hospital well stopped working on December 15, last. This was due to the fact that the pump connected to the well was discharging sediments which caused the water to be contaminated.
Moreover, the hospital reservoir, which can accommodate approximately 54,000 gallons of water, was not full at the time of the breakdown. This resulted in large sums being channeled towards the purchase of water for the doctors’ quarters. This development commenced on December 18, 2015.
But according to Dr. Shako, the purchase of water for the entire hospital complex, which included for hospital and staff quarters, commenced the following day (December 19, 2015).
In the meantime, the hospital reservoir was washed and prepared to be refilled during the period of December 27 – December 28, 2015.
The private arrangement for the purchase and transport of water, which saw an incurred cost of $1.4M to date, has been discontinued as a result of the new arrangement with the GWI.
Meantime, the RHS Director in addressing the issues faced at the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital in Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne) asserted that there is no “true” shortage of medical supplies.
“The Materials Management Unit (MMU) had experienced some difficulties in the timely filling of Combined Requisition and Issue Vouchers (CRIVS), which consisted of drugs and medical supplies. This should not be considered as a ‘true’ shortage, but a delay in the delivery of these important items,” Dr. Shako stated.
She spoke with the Director of the MMU who said that the CRIVS were due in December, but due to an emergency request from Region One, same were delayed.
“Some CRIVS for the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital will be finished packing today (yesterday) and can be uplifted. More supplies are still outstanding and will be given on a monthly basis to Region Six,” the RHS Director explained.
According to her, too, the MMU did not have Reagents and Insulin Syringes, which both had to be outsourced. However, the MMU is still to procure X-Ray films, not only for the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital, but nationally.
Dr. Shako said that if there is an urgent need for medical supplies, authorities in that region could have made contact with the Regional Health Services Department at the Ministry, where there is a bond in which those items could be procured.
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