Minister of Health and Wellness, the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville addressed Parliament on the specialty hospital to be built on New Providence Highway on Wednesday.
Dr. Darville told Parliamentarians that land preparation for the $268 million, 200 bed medical facility will begin soon. He said, “next week tractors will arrive at the site to begin land preparation. Shortly after, foundation will be laid out and the work will begin leading up to the vertical construction.”
Negotiations are ongoing to ensure that 50% of the workers on the project are Bahamians.
The minister also addressed staff shortages at the Princess Margaret Hospital. “I can say that more than 500 Bahamians have been hired in my ministry but we still need more staff. We continue to recruit and we continue to bring staff members in from abroad. But I’m pleased to report that some 47 retired nurses will be entering the healthcare system next month. And we’re in the final stages of recruiting an additional 50 Ghanian nurses, many with specialties for the Rand Memorial Hospital and the Princess Margaret Hospital,” Dr. Darville said.
The new specialty hospital will provide intensive care services for mother and child and house a reference morgue.
