The Georgetown Municipality is looking to re-open the doors of the newly refurbished Albouystown Health Centre. The centre was closed for renovation approximately one year ago which is said to amount to some $15M.
The spruced up facility is also expected to offer new and added services to the community. This is according to Chief Health Visitor, Medex, Beres Springer.
The health centre will also now serve the community from Monday to Friday, where it previously opened for two and a half days weekly. An out-patient clinic is also among the new services proposed. This should cater those persons who suffer from chronic illnesses and childhood diseases. Cervical cancer screening through the use of VIA (Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid) will is another service to be offered.
“We’ll be doing dressings and minor suturing…we’ll have a pharmacy at the Health centre and we also want to do the VCT which the Voluntary Counseling and Testing of HIV on a daily basis” she said.
HIV testing was only available twice each week previously.
Regarding the beneficiaries of the services Medex Springer says the aim is to care for the very young and the not so young.
“We’re looking at the family, especially the elderly that would be attending the chronic illness clinic. We’ll be doing home visits (and) make sure we do adhering counseling and ensure they’re taking their medications.”
According to Medex Springer these new and added services are being made possible through the City’s collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health that is providing the additional doctors, medication for the pharmacy and other key staff.
The goal she says is to ease the burden at the Georgetown Hospital by offering through the provision to primary level services.
Earlier this month the Mayor and City Council handed over an $18M bridge to the community of Albouystown.
