Residents of Colihaut can now benefit from a new Health and Wellness Centre which is expected to enhance the provision of healthcare in that community.
The $1.9 million modern and fully equipped facility was constructed by Montreal Management Consultants Est. (MMCE).
“The journey seemed frustrating at times seeking a site to meet the needs of the people, ensuring access to quality healthcare, but God never fails his people once you trust him,” Parliamentary Representative for the Colihaut Constituency, Catherine Daniel said while addressing the commissioning of the facility on the weekend.
According to her, the building has been erected on a site which once housed a health centre, “a health centre which served us well, but was structurally weak and so we had to move to a residential building to ensure that the health services were maintained in this community.”
Daniel said the community of Colihaut is elated and thankful for this much-needed facility and called on residents to demonstrate their appreciation by taking care of it.
“Let each one of us be a guard to protect the facility from vandalism,” Daniel advised. “This is ours; it will serve everyone regardless of religion or political affiliation.”
Acting Minister for Health, Kent Edwards said healthcare delivery has remained the priority of the Ministry of Health and in spite of the adverse situation which arose, the ministry has always been able to provide healthcare to its people and has never discontinued any of its infrastructural projects.
“Instead, we have used the opportunity to set new standards, approaches to many of the projects and the way of doing things generally,” he noted.
He said the government has constructed 12 health and wellness centres and so far 6 have been commissioned.
Edwards stated that the Health and Wellness Centre in Colihaut is the 7th to be commissioned, “following this we are scheduling for the commissioning of the Penville/Bagatelle, Anse De Mai, Newtown and Soufriere [health centres].”
He said the new health facilities will be used to continue to provide services to the communities with a focus on the physical, mental and social well-being of residents and appealed to them to “not wait for when you get sick and develop health problems to visit your health centre” but to visit their their health centre regularly in order to do routine check-ups.
“If you wait too long it might be too late for you,” Edwards warned.
Senior Minister and Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Reginald Austrie who represented Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said he believes the commissioning of the Health and Wellness Centre should not only be for caring and for health, but also be seen as an educational and learning institution.
“There will be more public discussion in Colihaut on matters of health,” he stated. “Continue the education process as far as the health of the nation is concerned.”
Austrie stated further that with the issue of climate change, there have been new diseases developing in animals, plants and human beings, and that as the world continues to experience the issue of climate change, we may be confronted with deadlier and more diseases.
“While we prepare and guard ourselves against Covid-19, we also have to be conscious that there are other diseases,” he noted.
Meantime, Project Manager of (MMCE), Cal Murad said the project is clearly part of the transformation of the healthcare industry in Dominica and will contribute significantly to the community, “especially in this challenging time of the pandemic.”
He highlighted the hurricane resistance capability of the structure pointing out that it was built using green forest concrete, windows.
According to Murad, the ground floor consists of a spacious lobby, 2 examining rooms, doctor’s office, nurse room and emergency facility. It is furnished with medical equipment and furniture.
“As for the upper floor, it represents the staff accommodation which is a two bedroom furnished apartment with all the needed facilities,” the MMCE representative said.
I believe MMCE is the developer and the contractors or subcontractors are either Chinese, Reynau, NH or local companies (like in Joe Burton as they say). MMCE is more on the project management for each construction.
Is MMC the sole construction company in Dominica?
It looks like whenever I read about a major construction project, the only name that comes up is MMC?
Are we getting the biggest bang for our buck in granting that company almost exclusive rights to our construction projects?
Is there something going on beneath the surface that we are not aware of?
You know as well as most of us that Dominica doesn’t get the biggest bang for the money. But I know a man who does.
WHY other centers were named from someone who worked as a nurse in their village and Colihaut wasn’t? I find something don’t sound right.
Would be nice to see some pictures of the facilities. Thanks