Government is still exploring the possibility of constructing a new hospital in this country.
Word of this came from Minister of Health, John Boyce, moments before he disclosed that a committee of Cabinet has been appointed to oversee the process. He made the comments yesterday morning after touring the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with Tuitama Dr Leao Talalelei Tuitama, Minister of Health of Samoa, who praised the QEH for the high level of health care it offers.
“Interests are being expressed and will be taken on board when that time comes… It is important even as we contemplate a new facility, some five years down the road, because that’s the kind of time it will take to design and build and implement a new hospital. That’s the best estimate. We still have to be able to provide Barbadians with the best service we can right throughout that period. That is the commitment we made, and that is the process we are following very rigidly,” he said.
Minister Boyce said that in addition to the Kingsland site that was being contemplated as the location for the new hospital, several other areas have come under review. Meanwhile, he spoke of the construction projects currently under way at the QEH, which will see a new cardiac unit and medical intensive care unit (MICU) being added to the facility.“Barbadians can be proud of what we have been doing here at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, especially over the last five, six years, and it is testimony to the commitment of the executive team here at the hospital,” he added.
Minister Boyce said that he does not anticipate any challenges with the ongoing projects, as he disclosed that the MICU is scheduled to be completed in October and the cardiac unit in November this year.
“This is really continuing to maintain the state-of-the-art service that we offer at the QEH in terms of the delivery of health care on the island. My colleague made the point about the service he saw – he is a medical doctor by the way, so he knows what he is talking about. And he made the point about how impressed he was with quality of health care that is available here – the application, really modern, new technology in nearly every aspect of the work at this hospital,” he added.(JRT)
