Remarks by Finance Secretary, Michael Joseph at opening of Supplies Bond – Ministry of Public Health

16 Jul

By: Tanika Jones 2

Remarks by Finance Secretary, Michael Joseph at opening of Supplies Bond – Ministry of Public Health

Brief Remarks On The Occasion Of the Official Opening of the

Newly Constructed Central Supplies Bond Of the Ministry of Public Health

July 10^th 2019

“Each of us is carving a stone, erecting a column, or cutting a piece of stained glass in the construction of something much bigger than ourselves”

Adrienne Clarkson

PROTOCOL

Madam Chairperson, Mrs. Michaella Abraham-Ali

First Vice President and Prime Minister, Hon. Moses Nagamotoo

Minister of Public Health – Hon. Ms. Volda Lawrence

Minister of Social Protection –Hon. Dr. George Norton

Auditor General – Mr. Deodat Sharma

Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health – Mr. Glendon Fogenay

His Worship, the Mayor of Georgetown – Mr. Pandit Narine

Members of the Diplomatic Corps

Distinguished Ladies & Gentlemen

Members of the Media

Ladies & Gentlemen

Boys & Girls

GOOD AFTERNOON

I bring you greetings and best wishes from the Minister of Finance, Hon. Winston Jordan, who regretfully couldn’t be with us, as duty calls elsewhere, and so he has requested of me to deliver these brief remarks.

However, let me hasten to assure you, that the duty which has caused Minister Jordan to be absent from this event, has nothing to do with incarceration.

The commissioning of this state-of-the art CENTRAL SUPPLIES BOND of the Ministry of Public Health has been long in coming. It has replaced an old wooden structure of 1,248 square feet, easily prone to leakages and flooding, when it rained.

The old building stored medical and non-pharmaceutical supplies such as gloves, janitorial supplies, printing, promotional and other capital goods.

The physical condition of the old structure while proving inadequate in space to store the vast supplies required to service the seven (7) programmes of the Ministry of Health, also exposed the stored stock to deterioration, mold and mildew, fading and discoloration of stationary and inventory, caused by leakages and non-temperature storage control.

The ensuing damages to stock, reduced the lifespan of affected stores, and in extreme cases, made some affected stock un-usable, thereby delivering less value for money spent, and unnecessarily inflating budgetary expenditure.

These sub-optimal, inefficient and uneconomic outcomes, led to discussions between the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Finance, resulting in the provision of budgetary support for the construction of this newly built state-of-the-art facility, at which we are now gathered to commission.

Constructed at a cost of 539 million dollars, this new facility is 11,520 square feet or almost 10 times its former footprint.

Fitted with an Office Alarm, Security and Voice Paging Systems, and modern air-conditioning, the floor space accommodates a staff room, conference room, kitchenette, documentation room, an accounts and secretarial department, and a records room.

Built of steel portal frames, with corrugated sheeting, reinforced floor with Terrazzo tiles, it stands to address the shortcomings of inadequate space and poorly stored inventory stock.

It is the expectation of the Ministry of Finance that this new facility will be used as intended, and that it will be well kept and maintained. We do hope that should we undertake an ex-post cost-benefit analysis in the future, that the economic, financial, social and environmental benefits will far out-weigh the financial outlay of 539 million dollars, expended to date.

It is said by Walt Disney, that; “you can design and create the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

And so, it would be remiss of me, should I fail to recognize the efforts of the main contractor, Mr. Ivor Allen, and his team of construction workers, the In-House Engineer of the Ministry, the Minister of Public Health – Hon. Volda Lawrence -, and her staff of the Ministry, who labored to see the dream of this state-of-the-art Central Supplies Bond becoming a reality on the premises of Lot 1, Mudflat, Kingston, Georgetown, in Region 4.

In closing, I wish to implore us all, to resolve to carve a stone, to erect a column, or cut a piece of stained glass in the construction and fashioning of a modern Guyana that can deliver the good life in our lifetime and for generations to come.

WITH THESE BRIEF REMARKS

I THANK YOU

Michael B. Joseph

Finance Secretary