US$1.2M Leonora SMART Hospital commissioned

The Leonora Cottage Hospital

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips has reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring the best possible health care for all Guyanese.

He made this assertion during the handing over ceremony of the upgraded Leonora SMART Hospital in Region Three.

“As a government, we believe that it is our responsibility to provide adequate levels of health care as an utmost priority for all our people. Our government’s commitment along this trust is demonstrated in our pioneering national healthcare modernisation programme,” PM Phillips said.

The SMART hospital project, funded by the United Kingdom (UK) government in collaboration with the Guyana government and managed by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), will have a total of five hospitals across Guyana converted into climate-resilient facilities that use more solar energy and stored water, with upgraded systems of healthcare delivery.

According to the Prime Minister, under the government’s transformational agenda, all sectors, including health, will see rapid development that is climate resilient.

“This is a time of accelerated development for all the people of Guyana. Our people will benefit from development and infrastructure, in health, in education, in housing[…]. The SMART healthcare project that we commissioned here today [Tuesday] and the others that you heard of around the country provide the means for creating facilities that can better withstand severe weather, save money and protect the environment.”

He added that the development is focused on improving citizens’ access to basic services. This, he said, will include the hinterland and far-flung indigenous communities.

“We are bringing development not only to the coast, but we are bridging that divide that has always been a challenge to development—development on the coast where 90% of our people live and development in our hinterland where the other 10% live in remote communities. So, this initiative is greatly welcomed and lauded by the Government of Guyana, as it adds to our portfolio of success and bolsters our commitment to ensure the improvement in the quality of life for the people of Guyana.”

PROGRAMMES OF COOPERATION

The Prime Minister also stated that Guyana was privileged to be a partner in the United Kingdom’s project.

“The people and Government of Guyana are proud to be one of the countries selected to be part of the United Kingdom’s SMART Healthcare Facilities Project implemented by PAHO towards the goal of ensuring safer, greener facilities in the Caribbean to deliver care in disasters and build climate resilience. This partnership demonstrates good faith in our government and our country’s potential as a green destination that aligns with a wider goal of sustainable development.”

Upgrades to the Diamond Hospital in Region Four and the Lethem Hospital in Region Nine have already been completed, and the project will also upgrade the Paramakatoi District Hospital in Region Eight and the Mabaruma Regional Hospital in Region One.

Prime Minister Phillips, who was joined by the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, handed over an ambulance to the hospital.