Dr. Cummings flags locations for six new hospitals

Feb 07, 2022 News

– Anthony says decision based on population size, not votes

By Allyiah Allicock

Kaieteur News – The main opposition has questioned the proposed sites for the six new regional hospitals the government said it will be building this year, saying that the location seem more aligned with the administration’s aim to “buy votes” rather than servicing the health needs of citizens.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony

Shadow Minister of Health, Dr. Karen Cummings last Thursday asked the Government to provide evidence that justify the selection of the sites. In Budget 2022, the health sector was allocated $73.2 billion of which a total of $12.4 billion has been budgeted for the design and construction of a state-of-the-art paediatric and maternal hospital, upgrading of the West Demerara and Bartica regional hospitals, and the construction of six modern regional hospitals at Anna Regina, Tuschen, Diamond, Enmore, Bath and No. 75 Village, Corentyne.
During her budget debate presentation, Dr. Cummings raised questions as to the selection of the sites where these facilities will be placed. On the topic, Cummings said that these regional hospitals must be built in areas that can facilitate access to care and impose minimum geographic hardship for the admission for the least number of persons. The Opposition Member of Parliament noted that her party believes that the proposed location for the hospitals is being done based on voter population. “Regrettably, we are unsure if this is the case for the proposed regional hospitals, to be built and constructed at Anna Regina, Tuschen, Diamond, Enmore, Bath and No.75 Village, Corentyne. What about Buxton on the East Coast, what about Mahaica? To our minds, this singling out of locations based on voter population should be disallowed,” she argued.
Dr. Cummings stated that if this is the case, it would be a clear violation of the constitutional rights of all to access healthcare services under Article 24 of the Constitution. In addition, she explained that it bars Guyana from achieving the goal of health for all people everywhere that is universal healthcare coverage. “Health should not be politicised and thus the locations for the hospitals must not be determined if the area is PPPC or APNU stronghold or not. Thus, we ask for the evidence that justify the selection of those sites,” Cummings noted in her presentation.

Member of Parliament, Dr. Karen Cummings

Defending the government’s decision for the proposed sites for the new regional hospitals was Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony who explained that the sites were chosen based on the population size in the specific regions and that people have easy access to healthcare services. According to the Minister, a hospital will be in Anna Regina because it is the most populated area in Region Two. “Why should they not have a hospital there? That is what we are addressing, so we will be putting that hospital in Anna Regina,” the minister argued.
Similarly he said, because villages like Tuschen and Parika in Region Three are becoming more populated, it was decided that another regional hospital will be built in that district so as to provide services for all. “You have all those communities around there where there are a lot of people because of housing development, and we need to ensure that they have access to healthcare, and that is why we are going to put a hospital in De Kinderen,” Anthony explained.
As for Region Four, the Minister stated that two new regional hospitals will be built, one at Enmore and the other at Diamond. He highlighted that the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation has always been seen as the National Referral Hospital but sometimes be referred to as a regional hospital in the region. “We want to change that. We want to ensure that Georgetown Public Hospital remains a National Referral hospital and do the complicated cases,” he said. There is currently a Polyclinic at Enmore.
Anthony said the hospital that will be built at Bath Settlement in Region Five, is because it is where the majority of the population in that region resides. While in Region Six they are going to replace the Skeldon Hospital with one at Number 75 Village. In addition to these new facilities, each one will be equipped with their own CT scans, digital X-rays, ultra sound machines and modernised laboratories and that all devices will be internet enabled, the minister asserted.
He mentioned that the reason behind all this “is so that people would not have to travel from all part of the country to come to Georgetown to get access to these things.” Meanwhile, regarding the maternal and child hospital, Dr. Anthony said it is to cater for all the high-risk mothers and children in ensuring they have access to specialised services.