Several departments of the Skeldon Public Hospital, in Region Six, are expected to resume operation as the facility is expected to be placed on the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) grid this week.
Non-functioning departments at the hospital were highlighted at the start of the month at the Region Six Regional Democratic Council’s November statutory meeting after residents of Upper Corentyne had complained to the Regional Chairman David Armogan.
Armogan had told the council that he had received reports from residents that the X-ray, ultrasound and physiotherapy departments were not functioning.
In response, Director of Regional Health Services for Region Six Jevaughn Stephens had explained that “we had to take off some of the services because the building used to get power from GuySuCo and it is no longer getting power from GuySuCo… If we connect the equipment in the building presently we are running a serious risk.”
Stephens had claimed that efforts were being made to have the building placed on the GPL grid “and that is what is taking so long.”
Armogan yesterday told reporters that he has since intervened in the situation and sought the assistance from officials at GPL so as to speed up the process.
According to Armogan, he was told that the hospital is expected to be placed on GPL’s grid by Wednesday. “When you apply here, it had to be sent to Georgetown for assessment. They had to get transformer and a lot more. Until the matter was raised at [statutory], then I started to dig up because it doesn’t look like nobody was following it up,” he said.
At the meeting, Stephens had told the council that he had made several calls to GPL in order to seek assistance but to no avail.
“They needed to follow up on the request, only when it was raised at statutory then GPL started to look at it,” Armogan stressed yesterday.
Stabroek News was told that the transformer and final preparations are underway for the connection to the grid.
Meanwhile, the statutory meeting had also discussed two health centres that have been constructed but which have not commenced operation as yet.
The situation was highlighted by the Regional Vice-Chairman Denis Deroop, who had stressed that it was unacceptable and that residents are in dire need of the services.
A $20 million contract for the health centre located at the Number 76 Village, Corentyne, was awarded to Memorex in 2017, while the $16 million contract for the health centre located at the Plegt Anker Village, East Bank Berbice was awarded back in 2016 to Dennis Tahal.
Both health centres, which have never been in operation, are undergoing remedial works, Stephens had told the council, “Plumbing and electrical work hasn’t been completed and that is why we haven’t occupied the buildings as well,” he said. “Both areas we are awaiting completion of those works,” he added.
Armogan yesterday noted the failure to include plumbing and electrical works in the initial contracts. “What they did was a bare building which was very short sighted, and even though two years passed they didn’t put it into the last budget to do the plumbing and electrical. Now they doing that,” he noted.
It is unclear when the health centres will commence operation since regional health officials have been very tight-lipped on the matter. 7
