Dear Editor,
Leguan Hospital is being transformed, rehabilitated and modernized thanks to the efforts of the New York-based diaspora. Leguan will have a spanking new Maternity Ward located within the hospital compound from next Wednesday. That is the day when the new ward is slated to be inaugurated and opened to the public for patients. The re-construction, rehabilitation, and re-fitting of the ward is largely funded by the Indo-Caribbean Federation (ICF) of New York.
The public is invited for the opening ceremonies on Wednesday at 11:00 AM courtesy of the ICF NY and the Leguan Cottage Hospital. Refreshments will be served.
The Indo-Caribbean Federation, which organizes the annual Indian Arrival Day celebrations in NY among other activities including charitable giving, started the rehabilitation of the Maternity Ward and the Patients Waiting Area in October last year with funds raised among the Indian Guyanese diaspora in New York City. In an invited comment, the ICF President, Mr. Ralph Tamesh, said: “We do charitable work throughout Guyana and USA. We commit to helping uplift lives of neglected communities. We were approached to assist with the rehabilitation of the Leguan maternity ward. We agreed! We did fundraising events in NY and work was done in record time. We have finally completed this much needed project and scheduled its opening so as to make women feel comfortable and at ease when they visit the hospital for checkup or delivery of baby. The project will help the entire island of Leguan. This is not our only public health project in Guyana. We are doing our part from the diaspora to assist and rehabilitate hospitals. We recently assisted Port Mourant Hospital and now Leguan Cottage Hospital and we plan to do same elsewhere”.
Tamesh said: “Some of the items that we donate include two 42 inches TV’s, a water cooler, four ceiling fans for the delivery room and the maternity ward, two new beds for the maternity ward, two new cabinets for the patients in the maternity ward, two baby cradles, installation of a new sink in the maternity ward, new cabinets in the delivery room, a trolley for the delivery room”.
Tamesh said that the ICF purchased five new benches for the Waiting Area where patients wait to see the doctor and clinic day “And we will also equip the administrative office with a laptop and printer and a new sign at the entrance of the Hospital. This project was fully financed by the Indo-Caribbean Federation and its supporters in New York, we are looking forward for the public’s attendance as we commission the Maternity Ward”.
Tamesh commended the executives of the ICF for their fundraising drive and the hard work they put in to make the project a success. He expressed appreciation to donors and everyone else who assisted in making this project a reality.
Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram