President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Sunday turned the sod for a new state-of-the-art Lethem Regional Hospital.
The new hospital will be well equipped with 75 in-patient beds, two fully functional operation rooms, a modern ER and procedure rooms, diagnostic imaging services, digital x-rays, portable x-rays, 1 CT machine and three ultrasound machines.
It will serve as a teaching hospital, equipping the region’s medical practitioners with the skills to meet global standards.
This publication had reported that the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) has disclosed that CMEC- Sinopharmintl Consortium out of China has been awarded the contract to design and build the new Lethem Hospital.
President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali
The consortium was among six firms who initially submitted bids for the contract and was then shortlisted with three other firms out of China to further bid for the contract. Information released from NPTAB had revealed that CMEC- Sinopharmintl Consortium submitted a financial proposal of US$31,099,200 to construct the hospital.
The construction of the hospital falls under a US$97 million – Health Care Network Strengthen – Inter-America Development Bank (IDB) loan.
In its tender, the Health Ministry had stated that part of the proceeds would be allocated to the construction of the Lethem Hospital, which is envisioned to operate at a level-five standard. The IDB loan, secured by the Guyana Government in December 2022, forms part of a broader effort to strengthen the nation’s healthcare network under the Conditional Credit Line for Investment Projects (CCLIP). The comprehensive programme aims to bolster the capacity of seven hospitals across various regions, including key hinterland areas and urban centres.
It was reported that the loan will be used to improve the health of the Guyanese population through increased access to quality and efficient health services by improving health outcomes associated with low and high-complexity procedures.
This will be done by expanding the capacity of strategic hospitals, extending coverage of diagnostic, medical consultation, and patient management services, inclusive of the country’s hinterlands, through digital health; and by increasing the efficiency of the public health system, by strengthening key logistic, management, and support processes and inputs.
The project is also expected to target infrastructure improvement and expansion in seven priority hospitals, namely the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital (NARH), and the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC), as well as four District Hospitals located in the hinterland (Moruca, Kamarang, Kato, and Lethem).
The Department of Public Information (DPI) reported that during his address at the event, President Ali announced that the government will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a University of West Indies (UWI) Medical school in Guyana.
Earlier this year, President Ali said that the government was in talks with UWI for the establishment of this school.
He said that the aim is to ensure that the tuition fees for this institution in Guyana would be the same as in Trinidad.
The University of Guyana currently has its own School of Medicine, but an additional facility would provide incentives for innovation and improved quality.
“The regional authorities have already said that there is a group of investors from the state of Roraima who want to invest in a medical school and medical facility in Region Nine,” the president further disclosed.
