A $16.7 million ambulance was on Thursday handed over to the Health Ministry for Karasabai, in Region Nine.
The Department of Public Information (DPI) said the ambulance has been customised to traverse the hilly terrain in the area and can transport patients to Lethem if necessary.
It also has a ventilator on board, an emergency bag and other essential equipment, including for neonatal patients.
The presentation was made at a simple ceremony hosted at the Ministry of Health.
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said the donation was facilitated through a Government of Guyana/Inter-American Develop-ment Bank-funded Maternal Child Health Improvement loan programme.
The report said the $1.6 billion (US$8 million) programme aims to reduce maternal, perinatal and neonatal deaths in Guyana by improving the quality of care in Regions Three, Four and Nine.
“The types of equipment we have in the ambulance goes beyond the things we have here on the coastland because it has space for the patient, it has space for the medical personnel to work with the patient while they are en route,” Anthony was quoted as saying.
He added that Region Nine is being used as a “pilot site” for the IDB-funded project and pointed out that enhancing health services in Region Nine is a substantial part of the programme. “This is a very good project and we want to assure the people of Region Nine and other regions where we are working, that we are going to expand these services and make it safer for mothers during pregnancy but also, the investments we’re making would help the broader population in the region,” he was quoted as saying.
Region Nine Agriculture Officer Darren Halley received the ambulance on behalf of the Region.
