The Vector Control Services Unit of the Bartica Regional Hospital has been recently refurbished at a cost of more than $3 million. Included in this refurbishment is the addition of equipment, waiting areas, office space and staff workstations.
According to a Department of Public Information (DPI) press release, for some time, the staff of the unit were operating in a facility cramped for space, in the hospital compound.
Regional Health Officer (RHO) of the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region, Dr. Edward Sagala has indicated that this was something pending but eventually completed and welcomed by the staff. It would now be of great benefit to both patients and health care personnel in the diagnosis of malaria patients.
“It is an ideal environment for the staff to now work and patients who come in bad conditions. Patients don’t have to be immediately admitted they can start treatment here,” the RHO was quoted as saying.
Additionally, a monitoring and evaluation team is also in place at the unit to track cases and gather information regarding the work done by the unit.
“Most of the work happens in this area, the monitoring and evaluation team is also based here and they schedule visits and travel not only to riverine areas but also areas throughout the region, lower, middle and upper Mazaruni,” Dr. Sagala added.
The DPI disclosed that the purchase and installation of new microscopes are among the improvements to the unit’s internal infrastructure which will allow for microscopic testing of vector related illnesses and the provision of timely results for further medical interventions.
