An ambulance which was long needed at the Fort Wellington Hospital has been approved as part of this year’s $243M budget for Region Five.
At a press conference on Monday, Regional Chairman, Harrinarine Baldeo told the media that “for quite a long time our ambulance has been down.”
He pointed out that the vehicle would be purchased at a cost of $9M and was badly needed. He hoped that it would help to improve the sector.
Presently, patients who are being referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital in cases of emergencies have to wait on an ambulance to come from the Mahaicony Hospital 20 miles away, to transport them.
The hospital had acquired an ambulance a few years ago but it encountered problems and is not in working condition.
Further, the budget which has seen an increase of $73.2M has also catered for construction of emergency wards and incinerators at the Fort Wellington and Mahaicony Hospitals.
The chairman said too that there are plans to improve the Bush Lot Health Centre to a poly clinic.
As such the building would be extended this year.
The health sector would also benefit from the purchase of blood pressure machines, refrigerators, filing cabinets, instrument
trolleys, stretchers, beds and mattresses.
In terms of education, the region would be undergoing rehabilitation and construction works at nursery and primary schools at Novar, Bath Settlement, Belladrum, Calcutta Nursery and Carlton Hall.
The region would also purchase a tractor and trailer which would be used to transport a small excavator that is soon to be acquired.
The chairman said too that streets in new housing schemes including Zorg-en-Hoop, Experiment, Hope, Waterloo and Burma would be repaired as well as roads at No. 3, 8 and 28 Villages, Catherine’s Lust, Bush Lot and D’Edward Village.
There would also be the construction, rehabilitation and empoldering of canals, channels and dams at Cottage, Wash Clothes, Mortice, Perth and Baiboo at Mahaicony.
The Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary (MMA) scheme would be assisting the region in the construction and rehabilitation of revetment of culverts, sluices, dams and bridges at Sarah, Belmont, Zeeland, Bellamy, Spooner, New Providence, Biaboo, Handsome Tree and Poor Fellow.
