CIOG moving ahead with medical centre

The Central Islamic Organization of Guyana (CIOG) is moving ahead with its medical centre which it says will feature a fully functional medical facility for obstetrics and gynaecological services.

In an advertisement in the Guyana Times yesterday, the CIOG said that it has received financing from the Islamic Development Bank for the establishment of the medical care facility.

It is now advertising for expressions of interest from building consultants for the facility.

The CIOG said that the medical facility will be built in Georgetown and linked to an inpatient building.

The advertisement said that a renal dialysis unit is also being considered as part of the health care facility.

In 2009, 15 dialysis machines had arrived for the CIOG for a dialysis centre. It is unclear what has become of them.

In an interview with Stabroek News then, CIOG President, Fazeel Ferouz had said that CIOG’s initial proposal to construct and operate a dialysis centre failed to pull in financial backing in the early months but it was later accepted by the Islamic Development Bank of Saudi Arabia.

Ferouz had said that the CIOG was currently trying to get the transport for the land in its name. At the time he had said that the building would be constructed at 227 Thomas Street opposite St. Ann’s Orphanage.

Ferouz had noted then that the aim of the CIOG project was to bring the cost down for dialysis treatment. He explained that Dr. Mursulin Gafoor of Canada was able to secure the donation of fifteen dialysis machines from Oakville Hospital in Canada while the Canadian Support Group of CIOG collected some funds from Human Concern International.

At the time Ferouz had referred to two other phases of which gynaecological services was the third.

There are now several other providers of renal services as competition grows in the health sector. The government is also in the midst of planning for a specialist hospital.