Specialty Hospital Project

… slams APNU/AFC for objecting to project two years ago  

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP) Irfaan Ali has condemned the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration for wasting more than two years on the construction of the Specialty Hospital project – which would have by now been nearing completion or already operable.

“Time is money and wasted opportunity carries a price,” Ali stated.

An Artist impression of the Specialty Hospital project

After wholeheartedly rejecting the idea of a specialty hospital while the PPP/C was in Government, the APNU/AFC has backpedalled on its position and will be moving ahead with the construction of the facility.

Commenting on the situation, Ali argued that the coalition did a great injustice to Guyanese through “deceptive politics”.

“So the Government has finally agreed to the Specialty Hospital. This is not only a flip-flop but a grave injustice to the Guyanese people and more so, barefaced political dishonesty. From ‘we do not need a specialty hospital to this position’; from cutting this project out the budget to accepting it today shows how deceptive this Government was when they denied the people of this country this project. It is this deception that has eroded political trust in our country. It is these deceptions that have robbed us of further growth and development and who suffers at the hands of such deception… the people of this country,” Ali posited.

The former Tourism Minister also lamented the fact that Guyana is now two years behind a project which would have been a great success and a critical boost to Guyana’s health-tourism sector and which would have been of great benefit to the Guyanese people.

That aside, the parliamentarian concluded that the Government is finally coming to an understanding that the “good economy” and the “good life” has been given a serious blow due to their own slothfulness in moving the transformative agenda forward and their lack of understanding in the management of the economy.

“So now that the pressure of a seriously underperforming economy is hitting home, the importance of spending and moving ahead with these projects branded quite rightfully as PPP/C projects and now being pursued. The economy needs stimulation and Government spending is critical in driving up demand so it is no surprise to see the Government coming around to the position of jumping on to the once PPP branded project for survival,” Ali stated.

Moreover, Ali posited that “I hope I don’t hear the farcical argument that we have reduced the cost like that presented for the continuation of the airport because if you reduce scope of work coat would be affected. Let us look at the foot print cost, the square footage and the cost of the services we cut out. Let us also calculate the project delay cost and tell the people of this country what the deceptive politics of this Government has cost them.”