In an effort to advance the level of health care provided, the sod was on Sunday turned to begin construction of a modern $6.5 billion Lethem Regional Hospital.
President Dr Irfaan Ali and Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony along with other officials participated in the ceremonial activity.
The project forms part of the US$97 million Inter-Development Bank (IDB) loan, aimed at strengthening the country’s health care system.
The state-of-the-art structure will be situated in the compound of the existing Lethem hospital.
It will feature 75 beds, a CT scan machine, two fully-operational operating theaters, a digital health control room, specialised outpatient clinics, two dialysis chairs, and an emergency room, among other amenities.
In his address to those gathered the ceremony, President Ali said the development of the hospital will not only benefit residents of the region but also the neighbouring countries, specifically Brazil from which persons already travel here for medical attention.
“It is quality of life and making meaningful changes for every single citizen.
“We are already thinking of Guyana 2030 and beyond. How we are going to make the right investment today to ensure that we live in one of the most beautiful, well-developed, advanced economy in the world,” Dr Ali said.
Since 2020, President Ali said the government has invested over $7 billion to develop health care in the region.
This, he said has resulted in a reduction in patient referral rates in both Georgetown and Boa Vista from more than 20 percent to below 2 percent in the region.
“In many developed countries in the world, they would never invest this quantum of resources for 33,000 people.
“We are already thinking…of Guyana 2030 and beyond…We have to think about the country that must win and win every day in a very competitive global environment,” Dr Ali said.
The vision, he said is for the Lethem Regional Hospital to be a teaching hospital, equipped to not only train local medical professionals but also persons across the region.
Upon completion, Dr Anthony said no resident will be required to travel to Georgetown because the medical care they need is unavailable in the region.
“A district hospital should function like a district hospital….one of the investments we have made is to ensure that we are equipped all these district hospitals.
“These things have been helping us to change how people see the quality of care in this region,” Dr Anthony said.
Reflecting on the strides made in advancing health care in the region, Dr Anthony noted that at the end of 2023 alone, more than 1,000 surgeries were conducted at the Lethem regional hospital. There has also been a decline in maternal mortality, a major issue in the region.
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