by Bahamas Information Service
Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip Davis said he’s happy with the progress taking place at the Freeport Health Campus, adding that once completed, the facility will go beyond meeting the medical needs of Grand Bahamians.
“Very shortly, Grand Bahama will be provided with a first-class facility to render medical services to the people of Grand Bahama,” said Prime Minister Davis. “This facility was not only built for now, but for the future of Grand Bahama. We expect that Grand Bahamians will also be thriving in a way that this hospital will be able to accommodate that exponential growth in the economy.”
The Prime Minister’s remarks came during a tour of the facility September 4, 2026, along with Minister of Health and Wellness, the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville and Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey.
Along the tour, contractors working on the facility took time to detail the layout of the medical building and explain the different stages of the project.
The first phase is expected to be completed by September 2027.
Prime Minister Davis said that he was pleased with the progress, admitting that at one point there were challenges in moving the project forward.
“But, I’m pleased with where we are now,” said Mr. Davis. “Those challenges have been removed, and I’m pleased with the Minister of Health, who has been working behind the scenes to ensure that this work gets done. I want to thank, also, Minister of Grand Bahama, who has been keeping an eye on this project; and I want to thank all the efforts that have been made by the team.”
According to the contractors, the building started out at about 62,000 square feet, but was increased to 80,000 square feet. The approximately 18,000 square feet was gained in the basement of the facility, which will be used partially as a hurricane shelter, as well as the PHA Academy where medical training is expected to take place.
“I’m pleased that the project is back in full swing thanks to a loan from CIBC, and we believe that we are on target for the opening of phase one of this facility some time at the end of September 2027,” said Dr. Darville.
“You will hear me speak about phase two of this project: we understand that the Beck Group, who are structural engineers, as well as architects, have completed the bulk of the design for phase two, which will be the multi-storey tower, which will house the bulk of the beds that will be in this building.”
Dr. Darville said there is still a lot more work that needs to take place on the grounds where the facility is located. For instance, he said they are still working out the details of how the entrance onto the grounds of the Clinic will be devised, coming off of the main highway (Midshipman Road) and how the flow of traffic will be work best for the health campus and the West Atlantic Medical School, which is located not far from where the new facility is being constructed.
In the meantime, Dr. Darville said that the final words from the engineers are that all of the long lead items have now been purchased by way of the CIBC loan.
“So, we feel comfortable now knowing that some of the items that normally take weeks to produce will be on site so that we can begin the necessary insulation,” said Dr. Darville. “We’re hoping that at the end of the day we can complete this project, which presented some challenges to us during our first term in office.
“The good news is that work is progressing and once this facility is completed, Grand Bahamians will be proud of what will be built here.”
(BIS Photos/Andrew Miller)
