Months after suing Indian firm, Surendra Engineering Corporation Limited (SECL), for failing to deliver on the US$18M Specialty Hospital, a local court has ordered the company to pay over $900M.But there is a problem. The company, at one time a highly favored one, cannot be located.Court officials, since the claim for damages were filed in October by the Ministry of Legal Affairs, went to the Berbice registered office listed by Surendra to serve the writ. The Ministry even resorted to published notices of service in the Guyana Chronicle newspaper on two consecutive occasions- December 13 and 20 December, 2014, to no avail.The matter was set to be heard last Wednesday in the Commercial Court. However, no defendant or representatives made an appearance.The matter was again called yesterday with Surendra a no-show once more.The court went ahead and granted judgment in favor of the Government of Guyana in terms of the special damages of US$4,285,440, which amounts to $899,942,440 and interest thereon; costs of US$10,714.50, which amounts to $2,250,043.What makes the matter more interesting is that Surendra, in India,Cheap NFL Jerseys, has filed for bankruptcy, according to records seen by Kaieteur News.It will raise the very real question as to how Government will recover the monies.It may very well have to look towards Surendra’s mining concessions in the hinterlands…almost 25,000 acres, according to reports.According to the Ministry yesterday, in a statement on the judgment, on 14th September, 2012, the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Health entered into a contract with SECL, a limited liability company incorporated in India and registered in Guyana.Under the contract it was agreed that the company would provide services in relation to designing, building, equipping, testing, delivering, installing, completing and commission of certain facilities for the Surgical Specialty hospital in Turkeyen, Georgetown. The consideration or cost of the contract was US$18,180,000.On 27th December,Cheap Stitched Jerseys, 2012, Surendra Engineering was given an advanced payment of 20 percent of the contract price, which amounted to US$3,636,000. On 18th November, 2013, an additional payment of US$649,440 was made.Surendra eventually failed to submit payment receipts to account for the advanced payment of US$4,285,440.“Instead, the company submitted fabricated, unsigned and inflated invoices with no evidence of actual payments made to support the expenditure claimed. In addition, the advance payment guarantee expired on 11th March, 2014, and the company failed to renew same in accordance with the terms of the contract.”After being informed of the expiration of the advance payment guarantee,Wholesale Jerseys, the Ministry said that Surendra then attempted to submit one from a company in Trinidad and Tobago called ‘Worldwide Bankers Re Company Ltd’.“However, pursuant to queries by the Government of Guyana, it was informed by the Central bank of Trinidad and Tobago that ‘Worldwide Bankers Re Company Ltd’ is not a registered insurance company under the Insurance Act of Trinidad and Tobago.”Government moved then to terminate the contract on the grounds that Surendra failed to renew or provide the advance payment guarantee; engaged in fraudulent practices and failed to satisfactorily perform its obligations under the terms of the contract.The Office of the Attorney General/Ministry of Legal Affairs, on 15th October, 2014,Kevin Love Jersey, filed a writ of summons in the High Court naming Surendra as the defendant.Government was claiming damages in excess of $100M,?special damages in the sum of US$4,Cheap NFL Jerseys Store,285,440; interest at the rate of six percent per annum from the date of filing to the date of judgment and at the rate of 4 percent until fully paid and costs in the sum of US$10,China NFL Jerseys,714.50.The case has been a hugely embarrassing one for the Ministry of Health and the Government which has been banking on the hospital as one of its flagship projects.Government had refused to listen to urgings of the Opposition that Surendra was not capable of building the hospital which would have offered specialty treatments that patients, in normal circumstances, would have had to seek overseas.Surendra itself is no stranger to controversy and has reportedly been blacklisted by the Guyana Sugar Corporation from its list of contractors.Surendra had been the contractor on the US$12.5M Enmore sugar packaging factory.The company has also been embroiled in the US$4M contract to supply 14 drainage pumps but has reportedly

By Zena HenryThe ultimate vision behind the training of hundreds of Cuban-educated Guyanese doctors, is to gradually replace serving foreign specialists with a competent, dependable and well-trained army of medical professionals, according to Health Minister Bheri Ramsaran.Vanessa Singh and Timothy Imanuel MorganThe Minister told Kaieteur News in an interview last Saturday at the International Conference Centre that there is a large contingent of foreign specialists, predominantly Cubans,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys, who help man the health system in providing a higher level of medical service. At the same time, the country is producing doctors who are confident and skilled enough to provide this said service to their countrymen, the Minister said.Additionally,Cheap Jerseys From China, the Cubans are helping Guyanese to do just that. Apart from the overseas training, the Minister pointed out that they are now considering post-graduation programmes.As a result of considerations by the Health Ministry and the government, Ramsarran said he was able to meet with the Cuban Minister of Health, who vowed to assist in after-graduation training programmes which would guide the students and aid them in settling into the new profession, while identifying a specific area of expertise. Only recently, a high-powered Cuban team arrived in Guyana to assist in crafting the post-graduate programmes.“As they grow, they will be deployed in further fields,Cheap Jerseys From China, to bring more services, to more people, more times in more places,” the Minister posited.In the meantime, while plans for the graduates are being finalized, they say they are eager to get into the field. Some say they dreamed of the day when they would graduate in their desired field, while others emphasized on being able to help people.During the seven hard training years spent away from family and friends in Cuba, it was tough, according to Best Graduating Student and Valedictorian, Timothy Imanuel Morgan, who said,Cheap Jerseys USA,”… but the Cubans are extremely friendly people, who were willing to share their culture and knowledge.? Now that we are home, we as a group are one of the largest returning, and we are motivated and have the will to serve.” “We are ready and willing to serve Guyana and the health sector in a comprehensive manner,” Morgan asserted.Twenty-five-year-old Vanessa Singh of La Grange, West Bank Demerara,Wholesale Jerseys US,Health Minister Bheri Ramsaran speaks with some of the graduatessaid she is also eager to be of service to her fellow citizens. She was especially passionate about this since sadly, while away studying, she lost both her parents to illness. Singh explained that it was difficult to concentrate and to go on, but the support of her peers and the Cuban professors gave her courage.Deoram Kajram, 25, of Adventure on the Essequibo Coast and Lionel Henry, 26, of New Amsterdam, Berbice were more than ecstatic about their graduation. They both highlighted the difficulty associated with learning Cuba’s native tongue of Spanish. They said students have to take the first year off to familiarize themselves with the language and later become as fluent as possible since the whole curriculum is taught in Spanish.Externally, Guyanese students teamed up, they noted.“A lot of church-going did the trick,” Henry reflected. The students had formed their own religious body. He said he played the drums while other students preached, sang and played other instruments. They also passed the time with cricket games and Spanish-speaking competitions.Mingling with the Cubans was a mind-blowing experience,wholesale nfl jerseys, Kajram said. They helped students cope with the pressure and made the language easier to grasp.Head of the Guyana-based Cuban Medical Brigade, Manuel Osorio, toldLeinel Henry and Deoram Kajram pose for a picture.Kaieteur News that the Guyanese students are very receptive to the medical programmes. The Spanish speaking director said through a translator that the students are open and willing to learn.“They will make fine doctors,” he said.

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Having successfully completed two paediatric cardiac operations last weekend, the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital is looking to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to sustain the service at literally no cost to patients.Administrator of the privately operated East Street, Georgetown, facility,China Jerseys Free Shipping, Dr Madhu Singh, told this publication that it is expected that paediatric surgical operations, including the two completed, will be compensated with the US$5,000 that is usually made available by the Ministry to patients seeking overseas medical care.The two young heart patients being attended to by their mother and grandmother yesterday.Officials of the hospital disclosed that a meeting with Minister of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran, was set for yesterday to discuss the proposed collaboration but it did not materialise since the Minister was reportedly otherwise engaged.However, Dr Singh disclosed that she has already written to Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, and “we are hoping to engage them in some form of discussion shortly.”However, Dr Ramsaran in an invited comment yesterday said that while he is not aware of any plan to collaborate with the private hospital, the Ministry of Health will be happy to support any health facility that offers a certifiable and accredited service to the nation.In fact, the Minister in commenting on the meeting that was set for yesterday, disclosed that “I am a bit surprise that it was about collaboration,Kieran Gibbs Arsenal Jersey UK, I thought I was going to endorse what they are doing and meet the children who were operated on.”However, he did note that the Ministry of Health is open to fund operations at the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital,Cheap NFL Jerseys, or any other private hospital, once the standard operating procedure meets the acceptable requirements.? “Our patients can get help wherever…we have worked along with the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital before for cases of kidney transplant where we offered some funding.”“We are also supporting these kidney patients at that hospital with medications…once we don’t have the capacity, we will work with any private sector facility once it has been certified… this is serious business,” asserted the Minister.He noted that the issue of paramount concern will always be certification of health facilities. “The issue that we need to be discussing now, at a higher level, is how do we certify these facilities? Are they giving the service that we are hoping to pay for? While the service might be good, we need it to be certified first,” insisted Dr Ramsaran.Dr Mahdu Singh (extreme left) and Dr Ratan Kumar Das (third from left) in the company of two other medical experts.He pointed out too that while paying for a service is crucial, there are other aspects that must be examined, such as follow-up care and management, something that has already been established in terms of the kidney transplant service being offered.According to the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital Administrator, Dr Singh, close to US$1 million was expended to ensure that the facility is furnished with state-of-the-art technologically advanced equipment to conduct cardiac surgery, which has facilitated about 150 coronary angiograms and more than 30 angioplasties, pacemakers implants and even a rare aortic stenting procedure.Added to this, she said, the hospital has the expertise of Cardiac Surgeon, Dr Ratan Kumas Das,Cheap Jerseys, who has many years of experience in the field. He currently functions as the Senior Consultant Cardiac Thoracic Surgeon at a Super Specialty Hospital in Kolkata, India.And since he has the capabilities to perform cardiac operations on both children and adults, Dr Singh noted that “this is a big plus…There are cardiac surgeons who specialise in one or the other and so not all are able to do both as Dr Das.” Last weekend, he also successfully conducted an off-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft on a 71-year-old patient.While the Caribbean Heart Institute, which is situated in the compound of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, has been offering cardiac care mainly to adults, Dr Singh disclosed that a large number of patients with cardiac anomaly are in fact children. As such, she considers the move to offer paediatric cardiac care locally is in fact an important development for Guyana.? “We have, I think, a lot of kids waiting in this country to go away and have this surgery done…I know of one set of five or six kids who will shortly be taken away (overseas) by Three Rivers (Foundation) but the truth is, they don’t need to go any more because they can have it done right here,Cheap Jerseys From China,”

By Leon SuseranThe seventh Annual Berbice Expo and Trade Fair opened Friday evening at the Albion Sports Complex. The event is being executed by the Central Corentyne Chambers of Commerce under the theme “Promoting Agro- Businesses and Tourism”.Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce , Manniram Prashad, declared the event open.Minister Prashad praised the organizers and stated that the event has been “growing in stature since its inception in 2005”.He said that it is an event ‘that has certainly taken a stranglehold on the people of Berbice”.Guyana Fire Service boothHe lauded the exhibitors from Suriname and Brazil who have been participating annually. “Berbice Expo is here to stay and will get bigger and better,Cheap Jerseys USA,” he said.He stated that new, exciting companies will be displaying their products.Prashad praised the Central Corentyne Chambers of Commerce for “showcasing such a wonderful event” since “it highlights the accomplishments of the Ancient County of Berbice and how it is seamlessly integrated in a more progressive and competitive county”.He said that the trade fair “puts Berbice on the map” and creates an avenue for businesses and provides patrons with a vast variety of options when choosing a product or service and encourages good consumer practices by businesses”.He alluded to the recently passed Consumer Affairs Bill in Parliament which will “go a long way in protecting our consumers in Guyana”.The Minister touted Guyana’s leading beach, the Number 63 Beach and committed to its expansion and development in the future. “It will become a premier attraction for the entire Guyana.“Our vision is to transform the beach into a world-class attraction, into an entertainment, and party zone.“A boardwalk, restaurants, game arcades, showers, all modern facilities, small hotels, resort development,NFL Jerseys Outlet, games and rides,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, including bars, shops, jet-ski rentals, designated parking, lifeguards, etc will become a reality shortly at that beach.”Fort Nassau, an old Dutch Fort up the Berbice River, will be earmarked for development and placement on the tourism map in Guyana, he said.At Belvedere, Corentyne Industrial Estate, he said, will benefit Region Six and urged businesses to make use of the facility. “Come on board now!” he urged.He urged the Private sector to invest in tourism in Berbice. He mentioned Gidesh Singh of Cortours “who has invested millions of dollars in Orealla, Cow Falls and Wanatoba” on the Corentyne River.He also said that a Canje Night is in the planning and will be held shortly.Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookhoo, in his address, praised agriculture and sugar in Guyana and their contributions to the “development of Guyana”. “Our success in agriculture will depend on our ability to package our fresh food and preserve them for longer lifespans, extend the production of fresh foods and supermarket- type products”, he stated.He said just one fruit- processing plant in Guyana “will change the agricultural landscape for a very long time”.? A major leap will be from farming to processing, he added.He urged more hoteliers to get their businesses on the internet for better marketing. He alluded to the fact that only one hotel from Berbice is on TripAdvisor.com and that more should get on board.The President of the Corentyne Chamber, Imran Hamid, urged the Minister to ensure a permanent site for Berbice Expo each year. He wished “for a wonderful, well- packed expo for the next four days”.The exposition and trade fair opened after a wet and rainy day in Berbice. The Albion Ground was wet and soggy but visitors trickled in as the evening progressed and the weather cleared.Many local companies are showcasing their products. There are craft items and food and agriculture-based items.Companies such as GuySuCo, Ministry of Tourism, Courts, Comfort Sleep,NFL Jerseys China, Republic Bank, NAMILCO, Edward B. Beharry, GPL, Ethnic Relations Commission, DIGICEL,Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys, NIS, New GPC, Guyana Fire Service, NARI, numerous food shops and a host of other companies were on hand to showcase their products and services.The exposition runs until Monday.