GALLERY: GIS Dominica
PM Roosevelt Skerrit has told Parliament that the Marigot Hospital is nearing completion; and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Edward Registe, also reported that the Grandbay health centre is 50% complete. PM Skerrit told lawmakers during his 2020/2021 National Budget presentation that the Marigot Hospital will be completed by April 2021.
According to the prime minister, the hospital will is sited on a 55,800 sq ft of land and will be fully equipped with an ICU, operating theatre, A&E department, in-patient wards, dialysis unit for diabetic patients, X-ray machines, and laboratory services among others. There will be a staff quarters as well as an expansive parking lot for vehicle owners.
Skerrit noted that the hospital will cater to the health needs of people in Marigot and the entire country, while it will also serve as a reference hospital to many people across the Caribbean. He added that the facility will not only provide a robust healthcare to the people, but it will also provide employment for many Dominicans. The assurance of employment at the hospital underscores the need for training and upskilling among young Dominicans who could be employed at the facility, he said.
“I am pleased Mr. Speaker, to report to this Honourable House, that the new Marigot Hospital which naysayers doubted would ever be built, is progressing at a quick pace,” Skerrit told Parliament. “It is in this context of new opportunities in the health sector, that the importance of training and upskilling young Dominicans become more apparent, both for their upward social mobility and as a national development strategy.”
In his reaction to the “naysayers” referenced by the prime minister, Opposition Leader Lennox Linton said he is happy that the Marigot Hospital which had been abandoned for six years due to mould and fungus infestation is nearing completion. He blamed the current administration for the delay in constructing the hospital, saying many people have died unnecessarily in the north-east since the closure of the hospital.
Meanwhile, Minister Edward Register revealed that he is happy that the Grandbay health centre is to be made a smart facility and that it will be built to withstand hurricanes, earthquakes, and natural disasters. He said the smart features of the hospital will make it one of the best health facilities in Dominica, and expressed hopes that it will be completed soon and features in this year’s budget.
“We in Grandbay are fortunate that our health centre is to be selected to be transformed into a smart health centre,” Registe disclosed.
This article is copyright © 2020 DOM767
