The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has waived the requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed US$29 million specialty hospital in Providence.
Once approved the private entity will be run by Nightingale Super Specialty Hospital Inc (NSSH), a company registered in 2021. NSSH is said to be the first in Guyana and third in the Caribbean to be accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), a US-based non-profit organization that accredits medical services around the world.
According to the project summary, NSSH is expected to be completed over a nine to 24-month period at Parcel No 3870 Block III Plantation Providence. It will be a 100-bed facility aiming to provide Guyanese with a high quality of medical services.
“NSSH will embody the symbol of international health care in Guyana. On its team is a group of highly trained and skilled professionals including doctors in both general and specialized areas of practice,” the project summary said.
The hospital is expected to provide an intricate network of clinical services such as medical, surgical, emergency, intensive care, radiology, laboratory, and pharmacy. These will operate in tandem with non-clinical services like administration. The spectrum of patient care will encompass admission, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring to eventual discharge, coupled with comprehensive patient education. Equally integral are support services such as dietary provision, laundry, medical recordkeeping, billing, and maintenance.
“A paramount aspect of hospital operations lies in maintaining robust quality control measures that ensure adherence to medical standards, safety protocols, and patient contentment,” according to the project summary.
Some 100 people will be hired during the construction of the hospital, which will generate 90 full time jobs once opened to the public.
The company also stated that the project site was previously used for sugar cane cultivation but was subsequently acquired by the government from GuySuCo for the purpose of housing development and later sold to NSSH for future residential/industrial/commercial development.
According to the EPA, an EIA is not necessary because the project will not significantly affect the environment. Impacts from noises will be low to moderate, short-term and localized during operation. Additionally, impacts from dust pollution will be moderate during construction. Dust control measures such as dampening the work area, covering loose soil materials and implementing water spraying systems to suppress dust emissions will be in place, the EPA added.
NSSH is set to become the eighth hospital in Region Four, however the EPA noted that the project has not been approved as yet.
