Residents of Essequibo will benefit from a new water ambulance to facilitate ease in accessing health services.
Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony on Monday commissioned the $24 million ambulance, which is equipped with a 250-horsepower engine.
Regional Health Officer for Region Two, Dr Ranjeev Singh said that the water ambulance will provide an efficient mode of transporting patients to Parika.
“So, in the event, that we have an emergency and a plane cannot land at the airstrip, this boat, within 15 to 20 minutes maximum, can take us to Parika and we can continue the journey to the closest hospital,” he said.
He also noted that it will assist in extending services to Region Three if needed.
“With this additional water ambulance, we can also render assistance to the people of Region 3, because we’re not dealing with a region alone. Guyana belongs to all of us and if we have to render that service to assist the people of region 3, we will do it to make sure that patient care is prioritised,” he said.
Regional Chairman, Vilma DeSilva expressed that the water ambulance is indicative of the importance attributed to ensuring that health services are adequately delivered throughout the region.
While in the region, Minister Anthony also visited several health facilities, namely the Windsor Castle Health Centre, Anna Regina Health Centre, Columbia Health Post, Abram Zuil Health Post and the Good Hope Health Centre, where he assessed the condition of these facilities.