PARAMAKATOI, GUYANA, April 8th, 2023 (PAHO) – The SMART Health Care Facilities Caribbean Project upgraded Paramakatoi Health Centre was officially handed over to the Ministry of Health. This remote SMART facility is the final healthcare facility in Guyana retrofitted to become safer, greener, and more resilient to natural disasters and climate change. The four other health facilities, Diamond Diagnostic Centre, the Lethem Regional Hospital, the Leonora Cottage Hospital, and the Mabaruma District Hospital, were completed in 2021 and 2022. The Guyana Defence Force started the retrofitting works for Paramakatoi Health Centre in February 2022. Despite being challenged by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, transport issues, and the remoteness of the facility in Region 8, the health facility was completed in March with the community's help. The Paramakatoi Health Centre has new safety measures, contingency provisions, and green technology to provide the community with a much-improved patient experience and service.
The safety upgrades include:
• Replacing the damaged roof frame and sheeting
• Improving the roof structure
• New floor finishes in the maternity wing
• Replacing damaged doors and windows
A total upgrade of the electrical network was done, including installing new main circuit breakers and introducing firefighting apparatus and smoke detectors.
The green upgrades provided for more efficient cooling, repairs and upgrade to rainwater harvesting systems and stormwater drainage, the construction of a new water tank support complete with new water tanks, LED lighting internally and solar emergency lights externally, installation of a 50-gallon solar water heater and the implementation of a 5kW Photovoltaic system with battery back-up, all aimed at providing the undisturbed supply of power and water while lowering the operating expenditures and environmental footprint of the facility.
The functional upgrades included upgrading the external access to the facility and a ramp for the physically challenged—new cabinetry and shelving for better storage of records and medication. The health facility will have new ceilings in both wings.
Dr. Rainier Escalada, acting PAHO/WHO Representative of Guyana, said “This is a very important day for PAHO/WHO and the UK Aid and today we are proud to handover the keys of this Smart facility back to the Ministry of Health and the people of Region 8. While the retrofitting mainly focused on the structural and operational aspects, our emphasis now shifts towards reinforcing capacities of these healthcare facilities to offer relevant, good quality, and timely health services to the people of Guyana. Earlier we completed the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, the Lethem Regional Hospital, the Leonora Cottage Hospital
and the Mabaruma District Hospital. PAHO remains committed to continue working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other partners to enable communities across the country to receive the best quality and environmentally sustainable form of healthcare; and also contribute in the roll-out of the essential package of services, pandemic prevention and preparedness, and disease elimination efforts.”
HC. Jane Miller High Commissioner to Guyana told the participants: “I am delighted to be here for the handover of this critical upgraded health facility and see its transformation. Our UK grant is instrumental in supporting Guyana’s efforts to reduce disaster vulnerability of vital public buildings or infrastructure and boost its climate resilience. It has also provided a helpful platform for risk reduction planning within the health sector, and we hope ‘SMART’ resilience standards and a rollout to more facilities is included in Guyana’s health sector adaptation plans. The floodings and the COVID-19 pandemic have also highlighted the importance of disaster preparedness and contingency measures at health
facilities for staff and patients and ensuring the health system is resilient to cope with unexpected problems that may come along. The improvements will require careful and timely maintenance in order that they continue to operate and deliver their services most effectively for the people of Guyana”.
“We are extremely happy today to be here to recommission this Smart facility that will benefit the people of Paramakatoi. Part of this project is to simplify the layout of the building so that when people come in they can have an easier flow and have easy and ready access. Also the installation of solar power was important to allow us to deliver high quality healthcare by ensuring a constant flow of water and electricity. One of the challenges we’ve had with existing facilities is that over time, we keep adding pieces to it, and after a while it becomes very cumbersome. And when people come, they’re not sure where to go, which room to go in, and sometimes it can be challenging, especially for older patients. So, part of this project is to simplify the layout of the building, so that when people come in, they can have easy and ready access to the building” The Government of Guyana is on a mission to transform the health sector and we are happy that we have partners who can support us in this initiative”, said Minister Frank Anthony.
The Paramakatoi Health Centre marks the completion of all five facilities retrofitted under the Smart project in Guyana. We must thank our partners for their generous contributions, PAHO/WHO, the UK Aid, and the GDF.
The £46.3M Strengthening Health Facilities in the Caribbean (Smart Hospital) project is currently implemented in 7 countries: Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Belize, Guyana and Jamaica. The project is funded by UKaid through its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the Caribbean and implemented by PAHO in close collaboration with the Ministries of Health of the selected countries. Along with Diamond Diagnostic Centre, Lethem Regional Hospital, Leonora Cottage Hospital and Mabaruma District Hospital, the final health facility to be retrofitted under this project was Paramakatoi Health Centre.
