Week 1 Progress

Below is a list of what will be constructed under this contract. Each item has a brief description:

1.0 Small Health Centre Building

This buidling is a standard Department of Works (DOW) Design. It is 21 m long and 8.2 m wide and is timber framed  on steel posts with a timber trussed roof. This new building will have a treatment and delivery room, examination room, OPD Clinic, 2 bed maternity ward, 2 x toilet and shower rooms, 1 x office, a nurses station, a store room, a verandah that will act as a OPD waiting area, and a large 10 bed Ward room. Electricity and water will be connected to this building!

2.0 10 x Bed Maternity Ward

This new buildings main purpose is for prgnent mothers to stay in preperation for giving birth and also after giving birth. This new building is a standard DOW Design. The building is 15 m long and 8.4 m wide on steel posts and is timber framed with a timber trussed roof. It will have a Delivery room, 2 x store rooms, 1 x nurse station, a 10 x bed maternity ward, a toilet and shower, and a verandah that will serve as a sitting area for the mothers. Electricity and water will be connected to this building!

3.0 Standard Services Building

The standard services building is also a DOW Design. This building is important as it will house the important service rooms of the Health Centre. The building is 20 m long and 19 m wide sitting on the ground and will be constructed with concrete blocks and also have a timber trussed roof. The building will house a male and female toilet and shower room, a bulk store area, a storage room, a dispensary room, a general laboratory, a receiption room, a dental suite room, a dental laboratory, a dental technicians room, a washing-sorting-ironing-clean packing and dispatching section with its own office, a sterile clean storage - sorting - packing - receiving section with its own office, and a covered walkway around the building. Electricity and water will be connected to this building!

4.0 Standard Haus Kuk

The haus kuk (or outdoor cooking area) is 3m long and 3 m wide with 4 main posts holding up the timber truss frames. The haus kuk will have water supply to, concrete seats, a concrete cook cooking area, a concrete bench containing a stainless steel sink! Electricity will also be connected to this building!

5.0 Standard Ventilated Pit Latrines (4x)

There will be 4 x pit latrines...

6.0 Standard 3 Bedroom House

There will be a 3 bedroom house on posts. The house will be timber framed and have a timber trussed roof. There will be 3 rooms, a living and dining room, with a verandah. Electricity and water will be connected to this building!

7.0 Incinerator, Incinerator Shed, and Placenta Pit

The Incinerator will be located on a 2 m length by 2 m width Reinforced concrete slab, have concrete posts that will hold up a timber trussed roof. The Incinerator will be constructed using concrete with high resistant to heat cement. The incinerator chimney will also be highly resistant to heat!

Now the placenta pit is very important for a rural health centre. This is where stuff left over after a mother gives birth will be placed!

8.0 Generator and Storage Shed

The generator shed will be 4 m long by 4 m wide, have 4 x main 200 dia posts holding up a timber trussed roof, with a concrete floor! The Generator will suppley power to the newly constructed buildings and the existing health centre building!

9.0 Double Shower and Laundry

A DOW standard design, this building will be 5 m long and 2 m wide and will have a male and female shower area, a laundry area with double caroma sinks and bench seating for users!

10.0 Furnitures

Furniture such as beds, desks, chairs, etc. will be provided!

11.0 Civil Works

The Civil Works component of this project includes construction of a new access road from the main Nakikus konga highway (what the local people call the road shortcut road up the mountains from wara pukpuk to Lassul Bay), the installation of 900 mm RCP culverts under the new road, fill to the existing swamp area at the back of the existing health centre building to reclaim land, and the construction of shorline protection gabion baskets to stop the rise in sea level from affecting the health centre buildings!

12.0 Covered Walkways

The covered walkway will have 200 dia mm timber posts 4 m apart from each other set in concrete base of 2 m wide footpaths. The footpaths will have enough space for pushing trolleys or moveable beds and will be shelterd by timber trussed roofs. The covered walkways will connect the maternity ward, small health centre building, and services building, with the existing Health Centre Building. The main purpose is to provide protection from the elements when going from point to point!

13.0 Renovation of Exisiting Health Centre Building

General maintenance will be carried out at this building such as; replacing all roofing sheets and roof plumbing, replace all rotten timbers wall and ceiling lining, replace all louvre frames and glass, and the repainting of the whole building!

 14. 0 Environmental Impact Monitoring and Community Issues

Apart from construction activities the GRA is very strict in the care of the environment. The contract will be monitored strictly to ensure that the contractor does not harm the environment. The GRA has environmental checklists that will be used to see if the contractor conforms with environmental care or of areas surrounding the construction site. The environment near the project must be treated with respect.

Also the community of the Lassul Bay area particularly the government station area must not be offended by the construction works, there must be a peacefull co-operative relations between all parties. Where certain laws or rules of the community exist, the contractor and the GRA must abide. The community in the project area must be treated with respect.
Remarks:

The contractor has not started work on site yet. The only work done was the pegging out of a 4m offsett from the existing road at the back of the health centre. This means that timber pegs were driven 4m away from the existing road edge. All brush, plants, etc. inside this 4 m space will be removed in preperation for civil works. The photos below show this. My next posts will be set in a same format as above, giving progress etc.

Photos taken on Sunday 01/11/09

Importantly, the materials used in this project are to be resistant to the salt water, the supervisor of the contract the Gazelle Restoration Authority - Project Implementation Unit will ensure strict quality workmanship and quality material usage.

Note: Some of you may be wondering why the GRA is working way out here in an area not affected by the volcanic eruptions? as the GRA was set up to restore services and infrastructure for those immediately affected by the volcanic eruptions!

Well to answer that, the GRA has completed all projects tasked to it from the National Government under the Restoration Programme. Because of the GRA's great record in managing donor money and completing projects on ttime and with quality anywhere in the Province, the Provincial Government has approved the GRA to assist the National Department of Health their projects. Ol bigman blo gavaman tok, nipla bihainim tok blo ol...

As I continue to post updates, if you have any questions don't hesitate to post a commebt or email me.

Regards from Lassul Health Centre : -)