The Ministry of Health (MoH) has stated its disapproval with the view that government spending on several new medical institutions around the country may be a case of unnecessary and questionable expenditure, and is being done at the expense of health workers.
In a release yesterday, the MoH, interpreted the Stabroek News editorial of Thursday, January 11, as a rejection of the government’s investment in improving the physical and technological infrastructure of the hospital network, saying that it was “disappointing.”
The editorial focussed on two medical facilities, the New Amsterdam General Hospital (NAH), and the Suddie Public Hospital and put forth the argument (in the case of the NAH) that while “there is dire need for modern, affordable, and satisfactory healthcare in Guyana, which includes buildings with the necessary facilities,” there is already a New Amsterdam Hospital which was opened as a brand new institution in February 2005. And to support the argument, it was noted that “universally, hospitals are built to last at least 30 years before requiring renovations.”
