Healthcare in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) has seen substantial improvement with the establishment of an X-ray Department at Mahaicony Hospital.
This development represents an investment of over $79 million.
At the commissioning ceremony on Tuesday, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony disclosed that the retrofitting of the X-ray department cost more than $30 million, while the X-ray machine itself cost $49 million.
The X-ray machine is manufactured by Siemens, one of the leading X-ray machine manufacturers. Dr Anthony noted that the hospital had previously experimented with different brands and found Siemens to be more reliable for imaging purposes.
“In the past, we had used Siemens at the Georgetown Public Hospital and they lasted for ten years…So what you have now, is a good type of equipment,” the minister stated.
He noted that similar types of X-rays are available in other hospitals, including Suddie, Linden, New Amsterdam, Mibicuri, and Port Mourant.
Additionally, he highlighted that the digital X-Ray system enables faster access to results from anywhere within the local system.
“The exposure of patients to radiation is far less, and so you don’t have that fear that you used to have before that you would have a lot of radiation, the radiation is far less in exposure to patients and the person who is doing the image,” he stated.
Minister Anthony also highlighted the developments in the health sector over the past three years, and the opportunities for training, infrastructure development, and service provision.
He noted that in Region Five alone, approximately $300 million has been allocated over the last two years to support the upgrade of health infrastructure, with provisions for additional support this year.
