Sod turned for US$161M New Amsterdam Hospital

Jan 08, 2024 News

President Irfaan Ali (centre) and other officials turning the sod on Sunday for the construction of the New Amsterdam Hospital

Kaieteur News – On Sunday, the sod was turned to commence the construction of a new US$161 million modern hospital at New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The state-of-the-art modern health facility is being built by VAMED Engineering, an Austrian company.

A section of the gathering at the sod turning ceremony

An artist impression of the New Amsterdam Hospital

President Irfaan Ali attended the ceremony and highlighted during an address to attendees at the event, that the four-story hospital marks a significant step towards establishing a Level Five facility in Region Six.

Ali said that a major aspect of his vision for an excellent and exemplary healthcare sector in Guyana, is the ability to match the Level Five investments with the quality of care for citizens through humanism and optimum service. He emphasised that the hospital is not solely a standalone facility but one which will operate on a hub-and-spoke mechanism, connecting health centers in the region through telemedicine.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony disclosed that the hospital would be a four-story building which would comprise five operating theatres, one dedicated to cardiac surgeries only.

The hospital will provide a 24-hour accident and emergency service and will be equipped with advanced digital X-ray, and CT scan machines. Notably, Dr. Anthony disclosed that it will be the second public facility to house an MRI machine and will be equipped for transplants. Two additional buildings will be constructed within the compound – one for a teaching facility and another for a modern psychiatric facility.

Present at the event were Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Sonia Parag, Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, Regional Chairman for Region Six, David Armogan, Permanent Secretary, Malcolm Watkins, Project Director, VAMED Engineering, Walter Puhringer and other Senior Officials from the Ministry of Health and other dignitaries from the international community.

Last month, the National Assembly approved $3.332 billion to be used to pay the advance the government is obligated to pay to the contractor, VAMED.

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A section of the gathering at the sod turning ceremony, An artist impression of the New Amsterdam Hospital, East Berbice Corentyne

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