The X-ray and ultrasound machines at the Skeldon Hospital have been grounded while several air conditioning units are not operable at that medical facility for the past two months.
This is according to Director of Regional Health Services Jevaughn Stephen in response to questions posted by Councillors at the Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) Regional Democratic Council (RDC) meeting held recently.
Stephen said an electrical problem has affected the smooth functioning of the Skeldon Hospital.
According to him, the Skeldon Hospital in the past received power from the Skeldon Skeldon Sugar Estate to power its heavy-duty equipment but since the closure of the estate this is no longer possible.
“We had to take off some of the services because the building use to get power from GuySuCo (Guyana Sugar Corporation) and we are no longer getting power from GuySuCo. We did an assessment and decided to put it on GPL [Guyana Power and Light] grid. That is what is taking the time,” the director said.
“If we connect the equipment to the grid presently we will be running a serious risk. Every day we keep calling GPL.”
The hospital has since been transferring its emergency patients to the New Amsterdam hospital situated 50 miles away.
Regional Chairman David Armogan in response said more urgency needs to be paid to the situation. He said in the interim a generator could be rented to power the heavy-duty equipment.
The chairman said he has been receiving many reports from persons who went to the Hospital and could not be treated because the X-Ray machine was not working. Many others had to be sent to other facilities because doctors could not get an ultrasound.
Armogan noted that the situation must be addressed with a great degree of urgency.
He has promised the Regional Administration’s intervention to see whether it will get GPL to give the application from the Hospital to be hooked up to its grid, priority.
