Although the new government is proceeding with the controversial specialty hospital project, Health Minister Dr George Norton says the priorities for the health sector are still addressing the high maternal mortality rate, mental health and training of health care workers.
Norton stressed that while the specialty hospital might prove to be a good long-term investment, it is not one of his short-term priorities. “We have a high maternal mortality rate and we need to focus on that. We have mental health problems, which I view as a priority, and training of our medical professionals, especially our nurses. We need a lot of infrastructure to improve our primary health care services. We also need to make sure our medical school is reaccredited. These are our priorities right now,” Norton told Stabroek News on Thursday.
The government’s decision to pursue the project was as a result of a new agreement with the Indian government, which would allow for funding for a specialty hospital as well as for use of US$14M remaining from the line of credit originally intended for the project to upgrade the
