BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
HELENA Goldie Hospital has issued an urgent appeal to individuals, businesses and development partners to help complete its long-delayed X-ray building after years of unsuccessful construction efforts which have left the hospital without a dedicated X-ray room.
Medical Superintendent Dr. Raymond Kuray Dickson said the incomplete project has become a symbol of poor implementation of essential health infrastructure that can directly affect the delivery of lifesaving medical services.
According to Dickson, several contractors have been engaged over the years, but none have completed the project.
“We have had contractors come and go, but the building remains incomplete. Only the walls were completed,” he said.
Dickson said the unfinished structure has been left exposed to the elements for years, resulting in cracks appearing on the walls as cement continues to deteriorate under the sun and rain.
“It’s been years and the cement has been exposed to rain and sun. We’ve already seen cracks on the walling,” he said.
Dickson said an X-ray facility is one of the most important services in any hospital, enabling doctors and nurses to diagnose injuries and illnesses that cannot be detected through physical examination alone.
He said the absence of a proper X-ray room continues to affect patient care and limits the hospital’s ability to provide timely diagnosis and treatment.
“Hospitals exist to save lives, and playing around with hospital projects is simply gambling with people’s lives,” Dickson said.
He urges those involved in health infrastructure projects to recognise the critical importance of hospital facilities and ensure projects are completed on time.
“We must understand that the hospital may be the last place we spend our final days if we become seriously ill. One day it could be one of our own relatives needing treatment, but previous decisions have left the hospital with limited opportunities to provide the services they need.
“It is worth mentioning that hospital projects are meant to improve our services so we can respond effectively to the increasing health challenges faced by our communities,” Dickson said.
He calls on kind-hearted individuals, businesses and organisations willing to support the hospital to come forward and assist in completing the unfinished X-ray building.
Dickson said every contribution towards the project will help strengthen healthcare services for thousands of people who rely on Helena Goldie Hospital across Western Province and neighbouring islands.
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