The Health Sector has been allocated an additional $1 Billion from the treasury to execute critical repairs and upgrades at the country’s health centres, and a number of living quarters for doctors and nurses.

“The $1B additional that we are seeking, this will help us to do work in about 153 different facilities. So, apart from fixing additional health centres across the different regions, we are also doing works to fix living quarters for doctors and nurses in these various regions,” Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony told the Committee of Supply on Wednesday, ahead of receiving the approval.

In defending the requested sum, the Health Minister explained that the $1.7B, which was earlier approved by the National Assembly, is almost exhausted.

With the use of the $1.7B, the Health Ministry has been upgrading some 132 health facilities in several regions. The health facility in Annai, Region 9 is among those that will be benefiting.

“Annai is listed as one of the facilities that we will be doing major works at, this include putting in a new accident and emergency department, a new out patient department, a dental department, we have a rehab section that will be going in. We also have a whole section where there will be an operating theatre, a recovery room, so all of that will be going in. So, I think the sums that we have allocated to Annai is probably about $80M,” the Health Minister told the Committee of Supply.

Opposition Member of Parliament, Nima Flue-Bess expressed disappointment that the Diamond Diagnostic Centre is not among the list of health facilities that will be upgraded using the $1B. She said the Diamond Diagnostic Centre has a number of dysfunctional air conditioning units and staff members and patients have been complaining for months.

“I have been frequenting Diamond Hospital of recent because of an incident that took place there and reports I have been getting, so when I saw that there was upgrade to health facilities, I am wondering why no consideration wasn’t given to Diamond Hospital because I know a number of the Acs are not functioning there,” MP Flue-Bess said.

But the claims by the MP were quickly rebuffed by the Health Minister, who explained that one week ago, he visited the Diagnostic Centre and received no such report.

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