By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

SENIOR government officials yesterday toured the new multi-million dollar critical care block at the Princess Margaret Hospital, which is expected to be turned over to the government in October and open for patients “shortly thereafter” according to hospital officials.

The new block is nearly 90 per cent complete and will be finished within its $55 million budget – a “remarkable achievement” given its size and complexity, Public Hospitals Authority managing director Herbert Brown said.

To date, just under $51 million of the $55 million budget has been spent, Mr Brown said, but an estimated $45 million more will be spent on new equipment – bringing the total to an estimated $100 million, including construction, furniture, and equipment.

After the installation of the new equipment and the hiring of additional staff, the critical care block will officially open.

“Following the additional staff then we will obviously be ready to commence,” Mr Brown said. “One of the things that we’ve done, leading up to where we are today, is that we started a critical care training programme which is certified by the royal college in the UK.”

Some of the new equipment has already been installed, Mr Brown said, but further orders will be made in the coming weeks.

“Because they are going to be made to specification, they will take 30 to 60 days. That’s why we are telling you that shortly thereafter we’re going to be able to open, once the property has been turned over to us,” he said.

Following a tour of the facility, Prime Minister Perry Christie praised the block as a “wonderful intervention” in the healthcare industry.

Health Minister Perry Gomez echoed the praise but noted that the capacity – 20 adult beds – is not enough.

“That’s a concern for me because my comment was that 20 beds in an ICU, today, is less than twice as many as we had for the previous 50 years and the population has quadrupled,” he said. “The need for ICU beds is really much more.”

However, he noted that the new critical care block is a “first-class institution” and said he is confident PMH will have a “wonderful facility”.

“I think it should be an inspiration for everybody to really strive to be the best they can be and to make sure that this place – which is costing the government a lot of money – lives up to the expectation of high standards and high quality and delivery if service,” he said.