HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands.
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Deputy Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
IT WILL cost roughly $19m to return Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama to working condition following Hurricane Dorian, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands revealed yesterday.
Officials are eyeing the end of 2019 to have the work completed.
“So the current plan is the Rand will be closed down for repairs. There has been tremendous structural damage to the Rand and that structure damage has rendered most of the facility unsafe for occupation,” Dr Sands said in response to a question from The Tribune outside of Cabinet yesterday.
“Tuesday, a group of interested parties will be meeting with the managing director of the Public Hospitals Authority to express commitments for different projects within the Rand to bring it back to like new. We intend to do this in phases and complete it by the end of 2019.
“That said there is still an interest in a brand new facility to replace the Rand Memorial Hospital but that decision obviously requires the consent of the Cabinet of the Bahamas.”
He explained that the repairs are to be done by several private groups.
“These are donations to the people of the Bahamas, so we have benefitted from the donations of Samaritan’s Purse. They saw almost 125 patients yesterday. As a matter of fact for all intents and purposes taken over the acute care in Freeport,” Dr Sands said.
“They have in patients now, they have an intensive care unit. There is another field hospital in High Rock and they have been providing services to the people in east Grand Bahama. We also have the support of a number of non-governmental organisations and emergency medical teams in Abaco. So the hope is that the Bahamian health professionals have an opportunity to get their lives back together again as a number of these organisations have committed to be with us for as much as 120 days.
“So if we can get the Rand functioning again, if we can get our clinics functioning again; let people recover some sense of normalcy to their life then maybe we can resume ordinary services.”
Asked by The Tribune to reveal the cost for this work, Dr Sands said: “Our preliminary estimates as much as about $19m.”
Samaritan’s Purse, an international NGO, set up a state-of-the-art field hospital on Grand Bahama shortly after Hurricane Dorian’s passage.
Hospital Administrator Sharon Williams told The Tribune earlier this month that the field hospital would provide the same services that RMH offered to patients.
Comments
bahamianson 5 years, 2 months ago
19 million? We live in the Bahamas where contractors always under bid on projects.So it will take 19 million multiplied by 3, and that will be the true cost. Then again, I know nothing about estimates, BAM!
Dawes 5 years, 1 month ago
Probably because the actual cost is $5 million, then you multiply by 3 to $15 million and the Crony in Govt also gets $4 million as a bonus.
stillwaters 5 years, 2 months ago
For what? List the expenditure please.
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 1 month ago
Here's the expenditure breakdown:
True build cost - $15 million
Construction inefficiencies - $8 million
Contract padding for politically connected FNM muck-a-mucks - $12 million
Total cost - $35 million (minimum)
stillwaters 5 years, 2 months ago
A field hospital was set up there in days with all amenities.
proudloudandfnm 5 years, 1 month ago
It'd be stupid to renovate what's there, best option is to demolish and build a brand new facility.....
Make it big enough to handle Nassau cases too....
sealice 5 years, 1 month ago
You are going to rebuild the hospital before the end of the year with Bahamian contractors??? How man??all of em??
Also please explain how you plan on spending 1.5 million per week for the last 13 weeks of the year...really to the detail what you are spending it on and how you came up with this ungodly (yes a bcc comment) amount? that is as noted probably no where near close enough to what is needed in this day and age especially considering you should be working from the ground up???
As i recall wasn't this hospital like all the others on out islands far smaller then should have been - we have field hospitals set up in tents providing better care then rand did before why are you rebuilding in the first place?? Please take the 19 million go find a large hill and build the hospital on that please and then take all the money left over and try give it to an actual Bahamian that needs it and not ya bet..... do ya think before you speak? we really DON'T like listening to you mainly because you come with this big pile of BS??
TalRussell 5 years, 1 month ago
For door for corruption and dishonesty are be watched out for in the about $100 million plus that will be required for just the removal of tons of debris in the Abaco's and Grand Bahamaland, yes, no .... if government were smart.they would take advantage that most the debris is economically recyclable ....
The_Oracle 5 years, 1 month ago
Samaritans Purse Field hospital, set up in tents, is better than the rand ever was or ever could be. No fault of the nurses or doctors, The fault lies at the feet of countless Administrators and political appointees in the Ministry of health, and The politicians themselves. Demolish and rebuild the Rand, however there is neither the money nor the competency to do so. If Government building Fire stations @ more than $500/sq ft is any indication. Perhaps the tribune can remind us how far that went over budget beyond the above ludicrous figure. Thank God Samaritans Purse has committed to a year on the ground.
killemwitdakno 5 years, 1 month ago
Build a new one where patients are kept upstairs.
joeblow 5 years, 1 month ago
... nah, should be built on higher elevation. The Rand is not too far from the airport and the elevation is not significantly higher either. The airport floods with every hurricane, that should be relocated as well.
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