Water woes at Mabaruma Hospital to ease following GWI deal

A new arrangement has been hammered out between Region One ( Barima- Waini) and the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) to ease major water woes at the Mabaruma Hospital.

The hospital’s well had stopped working since December 15th and water had to be purchased. Residents of the community had complained about this.

Yesterday, a release from the Director of Regional Health Services ( RHS), Dr Kay Shako advised of the new water arrangements for the Mabaruma Hospital.

The arrangement between Region One and GWI will now see 8,500 gallons of water being pumped daily from a special overhead tank to the hospital.

The assistance by GWI was granted yesterday, the release said, and the Regional Health Officer of that region, Dr. Cerdel Mc Watt, has reported that the hospital has been able to use the new arrangement as of 9:00 am.

Dr Shako said that the new arrangement was made after efforts to rectify the problem by the technical personnel on the ground were unsuccessful.

“GWI will pump 8,500 gallons of water daily into a special overhead tank which will supply the Mabaruma Hospital only, and the hospital will distribute the water as needed within the complex,” Dr. Shako said.

The Hospital’s well stopped working on December 15, 2015 as the pump was discharging sediment which caused the water to be contaminated.

The release said that the Hospital reservoir, which can accommodate approximately 54,000 gallons of water, was not full at the time of the breakdown and the buying of water for the doctors’ quarters began on December 18, 2015.

According to Dr. Shako, the purchase of water for the entire hospital complex, which includes hospital and staff quarters, started on December 19, 2015.

In the interim, the hospital reservoir was washed and prepared to be refilled during the period of December 27 – December 28, 2015, the release said.

The private arrangement for the purchase and transport of water, which has seen a cost of $ 1,400,000 to date, has been discontinued as a result of the new arrangement with the GWI. CRIVs Meantime, the RHS Director also addressed reports that there was a drug shortage at the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital in Region 6 (East Berbice- Corentyne). She contended that there is no “true” shortage of medical supplies.

“The Materials Management Unit (MMU) had experienced some difficulties in the timely fill- ing of Combined Requisition and Issue Vouchers (CRIVs), which consisted of drugs and medical supplies. This should not be considered as a “true” shortage, but a delay in the delivery of these important items,” Dr. Shako stated.

She said that she spoke with the Director of the MMU who said that the CRIVs were due to be filled in December, but because of an emergency request from Region 1, these were delayed.

“Some CRIVs for the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital will be finished packing today and can be uplifted. More supplies are still outstanding and will be given on a monthly basis to Region 6,” the RHS Director said.

According to her, the MMU did not have reagents and insulin syringes, which both had to be outsourced

The MMU is still to purchase X-Ray film, not only for the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital, but nationally.

Dr. Shako said that if there was an urgent need for medical supplies, authorities in that region could have made contact with the Regional Health Services Department at the Ministry.