Contractors have until May 15 to submit bids for the construction of the specialty hospital planned for Liliendaal, Tarachand Balgobin, an officer attached to the National Procurement and Tender Board-Ministry of Finance announced on Monday.
At a stakeholder meeting, Balgobin said that with the National Assembly setting aside $672M in the National Budget to start work on the modern medical centre, contractors have three weeks to submit their bids as the process will close at 9am on May 15, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said. After that time, a total of five persons will be selected to evaluate the bids.
A recommendation will then be relayed to the Tender Board which will select a bidder and submit its decision to Cabinet and the Exim Bank for their “no-objection.” When the step has been completed, a contract will be awarded to the winner of the bid. It is anticipated that a contractor will be selected before year end, GINA said.
According to GINA, the state-of-the-art facility will provide the best quality tertiary health care in areas such as cardiology, nephrology, oncology, intensive care services along with supporting laboratory and clinical services, training and research, at an affordable cost. It is being financed through a line of credit with the Government of India through the EXIM Bank. Last year, land preparation for the hospital started after G. Bovell Construction Services was awarded a $97M contract. This component of the project is not covered in the financial arrangement between the governments of Guyana and India.
GINA noted that the stakeholder meeting included representatives from the ministries of Health, Finance, Housing and Water, Public Works, Foreign Affairs, as well as the Guyana Power and Light, the National Insurance Scheme, the Georgetown Public Hospital, the Mayor and City Council, contractors and engineers. Representatives from two Indian entities: Surendra Engineering Corporation Ltd and Fedders Lloyd Corporation Limited also attended the meeting.
Minister of Health Dr Bheri Ramsaran recalled that Guyana has done a lot to ensure the continuous development of health facilities. He noted that neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados have many modern institutions and Guyana has to catch up.
He said the facility will allow Guyanese to access the best quality health care locally, reducing the number of persons who must travel overseas for certain services. Ramsaran also alluded to the widening scope of medical tourism as many persons in the developed countries travel abroad to access less expensive health care.
However, the minister noted that the new facility will have to prove its worth before it is certified internationally and part of this process entails contractors delivering a product that meets set quality standards so that it can provide the functions for which it has been designed. According to GINA, the meeting outlined the requested specifications for the facility, which include a viewing gallery over the surgery theatre to allow students to view surgical procedures, garbage disposal, capturing and storage of water, a chapel, and counselling rooms. Stakeholders also visited the proposed site at Liliendaal.
