By Romila BoodramThe Diamond Diagnostic CentreIt was commissioned eight years ago with the sole purpose of rendering medical care to the residents on the East Bank Demerara (EBD). Minister of Public Health,Wholesale Football Jerseys, Dr. George Norton, has said that the facility is not fulfilling its role.In fact,NBA Jerseys China, the Minister said that the health institution, which was built at a cost of $120M, is turning out to be a disaster.During a recent interview,Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale, Dr. Norton revealed that while the hospital started out well there were many issues that had a negative impact on the facility. There were shortages of medication, broken equipment and shortage of medical personnel.“The Diamond Hospital is turning out to be a disaster… that was not the intention. The intention was to create a hospital that can give a certain level of medical care that would affect,Stitched Jerseys, positively, the whole East Bank route,” Norton explained.He added that at the beginning a lot of efforts were put into the hospital to make it a success.“A lot of supervision and personnel were placed into the system but like anything else that only happens in the beginning and right now we have to do a lot of work.”Kaieteur News was told that work will be done to raise the standard of health care services being offered at the hospital.“We want to bring it back to where it started and to even take it further.”To emphasize more on what went wrong at the hospital,Jerseys From China, the Minister said that the facility had a very large input of medical personnel from Cuba. There were patients who complained many times about the language barrier.During an interview with a woman who sought medical assistance at the hospital, this newspaper was told that even though some of the doctors spoke English,Wholesale Jerseys China, it was still difficult for patients to understand because of the accent.“Their accent is a huge problem. They would mix the English and Spanish together. Sometimes they speak to you in English and then they start talk in Spanish,” the woman stated.Also, the Minister said that another major challenge was not having pharmacists to work at the hospital.“You would hear that the pharmacy is not functioning on weekends while other areas are functioning. That makes me worried. It makes no sense having a clinic if patients cannot get medications; to even have an emergency department when you cannot secure materials (is worrying),” Dr. Norton related.According to the Public Health Minister, more emphasis will be placed on the pharmacy and emergency department.He said, too, that it is important to have all the equipment up and running.Kaieteur News was told that not only the Diamond Hospital but the Leonora Cottage Hospital is also in a terrible state.Dr. Norton said that works will be done on both hospitals soon.In 2013, persons from the Social Sector Committee visited the hospital to observe the conditions and make recommendations to solve some of the problems.During the visit, the management at that time was given three months to “clean up” the hospital.

Guyana’s Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU),Cheap Jerseys China, has made another drug bust at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).This publication was told that a Canadian citizen was busted with over 25 pounds of cocaine. The man identified as a 53 year-old,Jerseys NFL Cheap, was an outgoing passenger on Fly Jamaica. He was heading to Toronto,Cheap NHL Jerseys Online, Canada.The drug was concealed in packets of milk and frozen food. He is currently in custody assisting with investigations.

…Fip Motilall ?failed to properly manage projectBy Gary EleazarThe Guyana Government has introduced Makeswar ‘Fip’ Motilall and Synergy Holdings Inc. to two local contractors who are to assist with the completion of the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric plant’s ‘access road’ project.This was confirmed by a senior Government official who said that the parties are close to finalising the agreements and the administration is confident that the subcontracting out of the road will allow for meeting the new deadline set for the end of the first quarter of this year.The project is about 40 per cent complete.Motilall’s supervision of the project has been such a dismal failure that the Consultant had to step in to assist with the management of the project.The multi-million project being undertaken is on six different discreet locations requiring individual teams and fleets of equipment to carry out the task at hand. This is another area where the Contractor,Authentic NHL Jerseys, ‘Fip’ Motilall, of Synergy Holdings has failed, in the process incurring the delays.With the two contactors on board, Motilall is expected to make the revised deadline having already missed three.Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon,Cheap Jerseys Online, in December had told media operatives that the new completion date for the road project is now March or April in 2012.He said that it was agreed to by Motilall, the consultants and the Government of Guyana that sections of the road will have to be sub-contracted out to other companies to speed up the works.As it relates to the percentage of the US$15.4M paid over to Synergy Holdings Inc for works already completed,Wholesale NBA Jerseys, the official was unable to say but promised to make that information available.Dr Luncheon was also unable at the time to say how much of the road has been completed.Motilall had earlier this year promised to take media operatives to the interior to view the progress of the road but that never materialized.Dr Luncheon had himself conceded that the road project is hopelessly behind schedule and the suggestion was there for him to contract out the components ever since then.Dr Luncheon had even suggested that Motilall should be very worried because the design of the contract stipulates stringent penalties.“The penalties are quite significant and will be enforced for not meeting the drop dead date.”Senior Engineer at the Ministry of Public Works,Wholesale China Jerseys, Walter Willis, at that time had told this newspaper that there were no delays as such but rather lost days which had to be given back to the contractor.Willis said the first notice to proceed was given in October 5,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, for some sections of the road. On January 11 the next notice to proceed was issued and this section entailed virgin forest.The breakdown of the project awarded to Synergy Holdings Inc states that the upgrade of 89km of road will cost US$3.9M; the 110km of virgin roadway, US$7M,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, the two pontoon crossings or a bridge will be US$1.5M and ‘T’ line clearing is said to be US$3M.Hand in Hand Group of Companies is the company that has backed Synergy Holdings Inc. with the US$3M mobilization and security bonds which were a prerequisite to securing the recently awarded Amaila Falls Road contract.The road that Synergy Holdings is building is to pave the way for the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project which is described as just part of a larger effort to revolutionise Guyana’s power generation infrastructure.The storage dam site would be located near the top of Amaila Falls and would impound the waters of both the Kuribrong and Amaila Rivers.The Amaila site is located on the Kuribrong River, a tributary of the Potaro River in West Central Guyana. The nearest point of access is the airstrip at Kaieteur Falls on the Potaro River, approximately 15 miles to the south.An overland trail exists from Kaieteur to Amaila. Access is also provided overland by an all-weather road through Tumatumari on the Potaro River and on to Mahdia and Kangaruma.River access along the Potaro-Kuribrong Rivers to the foot of Amaila Falls involves several portages around rapids and waterfalls.The road from Tumatumari was recently extended to Mahdia/Kangaruma that brings the project closer to the site but approximately 30 miles of additional roads will need to be built to the top of Amaila Falls.