The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the government will invest $100m in upgrades to the Princess Margaret and Rand Memorial Hospitals as part of a project that will be pursued at an accelerated pace over the next 18 to 24 months.

The $100m includes $70m for PMH and $19m for the Rand.

He said both facilities will be upgraded with “new modern multi-storey towers that will house the most cutting-edge equipment, expand their footprint, provide additional bed space and enhance day-to-day operations.”

“When complete, we will have the equipment, technology and facilities that will rival any medical centre in the region and in the world,” he said.

Dr Minnis said COVID-19 has shown the government cannot delay such capital investments which increase both bed space in hospitals and expand access to healthcare.

He also said $10m has been allocated in the budget for the next fiscal year to fight COVID-19. That money will be used to buy personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves and gowns.

Funding for PMH upgrades will be facilitated through a loan agreement between the government and Banco Santander. The loan will be guaranteed by the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) of the World Bank. Dr Minnis said going this route allows the government to “secure the seven-year loan at a low interest rate of about 3.23 percent per annum.”

He said although work on the PMH tower will begin in the next fiscal year, money for the project will be raised this fiscal year through parliamentary approval.

As for the Rand, the $19m allocation will cover initial phases of a $39m project that will include a four-storey expansion to the renovated Grand Bahama hospital, Dr Minnis said.

“This multi-storey facility will ensure that should Grand Bahama be impacted by another severe storm, patients can continue to receive the best of care in a new climate resilient facility, constructed vertically, to withstand flooding,” he added.

Dr Minnis said $1m in capital funding has also been allocated to the Department of Transformation and Digitisation to implement a telemedicine initiative.

“No longer will people living in Long Island, Inagua, Mangrove Cay or any other settlement have to fly to New Providence or Grand Bahama and incur large travel costs to access healthcare comparable to what can be found in the capital,” he said.

He said his administration will make changes to the National Health Insurance programme as well.

“NHI Bahamas expects to see sustained growth in the enrolment of beneficiaries and technological advancement as the programme continues to evolve with the ongoing implementation of the Primary Care Transformation Initiative,” he said. “The Primary Care Transformation Initiative will provide a standardised package of primary care to all Bahamians, while improving the quality of care being delivered.

“Put simply, as was foreshadowed last year, we are implementing the plan that will allow all Bahamians to have access to high quality primary care — whether at public facilities or with a private doctor. In this expanded NHI programme, you will be able to select a private family doctor and obtain a full range of primary care services.”