The relocation of staff from the cottage hospital to the newly constructed hospital at Mabaruma is taking too long for staff there and this is spilling over into occasional protest actions.
Medical services at the hospital have not suffered as result of the action, but the staff continue to raise concerns about conditions they are working under.

“They are asking people to work in an environment unsuitable for any sort of medical services, and it is about time that they relocate the staff”, Stabroek News was told yesterday.

The relocation has been held up because of a tender that went out earlier this year, according to Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy. He said yesterday that as far as the ministry was aware there is no strike since the “staff are there working as normal and treating persons in need of care”.

Ramsammy said some of the concerns being raised by the staff have reached him, but noted that there is nothing that can be done currently. He said a tender went out for equipment to be supplied to the hospital and a contract was later awarded, but the process has been a bit slow.

“This is something we are working on and we understand that they would like to occupy the new hospital, but it cannot happen right now”, he added.

Within another few months the hospital is expected to be fully operational and the staff would be relocated.