Beds are being made available at Doctors Hospital on Blake Road for patients of the Princess Margaret Hospital [PMH] for the next fourteen weeks. This exercise will cost the government approximately $2.5 million and is being carried out during needed renovations at PMH.
Minister of Health and Wellness, the Hon. Michael Darville spoke to the issue at a press conference. “For the last eight months many patients who have visited this particular facility for care along with family members have made complaints about the necessary improvements that must take place. The government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the PHA, the Ministry of Health have been listening diligently to those complaints and effective as of Monday we will begin to move patients from this particular institution to Doctor’s Hospital west to make way for these necessary renovations.”
The need for the works being carried out was outlined by the Managing Director of the Public Hospitals Authority, Aubynette Rolle. “The decompression of the hospital will allow for intensive works to repairs and improve key infrastructural systems. The Princess Margaret Hospital, which was constructed in 1952 and has been in continual use serves as the nation’s premiere referral hospital. Over time PMH has faced challenges with respect to excessive patient loads relating to worsening cases of non communicable diseases, disruption of essential medical services and ebbs and flows of COVID-19 patients each challenge increasing.”
The exercise begins with 51 beds and could be extended to 90 beds.
