Minister unveils 25-year upgrade for hospitals

The Ministry of Health is seeking to upgrade three of Trinidad’s major hospitals over a 25-year period.
The Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), the Port of Spain General Hospital (PoSGH) and the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) are each earmarked for redevelopment, with an aim of creating modern, state-of-the-art facilities.
Yesterday, during a news conference at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain, the individual master plans for each hospital were presented.
The initiative to develop¬ the master plans began in July 2014, under the guidance of Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan, and was undertaken using country loan fund¬ing from the Inter-American Develop¬ment Bank (IDB), through the Ministry of Public Administration, in the amount of $16,432,903.12.
The contract was awarded to a consortium led by B+H Architects in Canada.
Among the improvements outlined in the mas¬ter plans are the elimi-nation of wards and the introduction of in¬divid¬ual rooms to allow for “priva¬cy and dignity”, according to Chris McQuillan of B+H Consul¬tants.
Increases in the number of beds, spaces for outdoor therapy and increased parking capacity are also among the developmental plans.
Speaking at yesterday’s news conference, Khan said the PoSGH, in particular, needed to be upgraded as Port of Spain is the capital city and should have a proper medical centre, as well as medical teaching facilities. Khan said he was looking towards the future of medical care, adding the upgraded facilities would make way for the introduction of telemedicine and telesurgery.
He said a master plan for the St Ann’s Hospital would also be sought as the institution is currently in “a total mess”.
“St Anns Hospital is in a dilapidated state. Mental health has not been put on the front burner until we came into office,” he said, adding one in four persons in this country suffers from some form of mental disorder.
Ministry of Health deputy permanent secretary Lydia Jacobs des¬cribed the initiative as a “milestone project” and said it was the first time in three decades a hospital master plan has been undertaken in this country. (Source Daily Express)