By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

A PUBLIC Hospitals Authority official yesterday said a number of challenges have plagued the Princess Margaret Hospital’s Critical Care Block and that it cannot be said at this time when the facility will officially be opened.

Frank Smith, PHA chairman, explained that in addition to not having the funding for important medical equipment, officials have yet to recruit the staff needed to operate the Critical Care Block.

In April, Health Minister Dr Perry Gomez told parliamentarians that $35m was needed for equipment which had already been identified. However, since then officials have confirmed that obtaining the loan had become problematic.

Later, Dr Gomez said the government was still negotiating with CIBC First Caribbean International Bank and that the facility would not officially open until the equipment was commissioned. The opening of the facility has faced several delayed openings.

“At the present moment,” Mr Smith said, “the loan has not yet been finalised for the funding for the equipment and we are still recruiting staff for the Critical Care Block. Whatever systems are in place we are now testing, but we’ve not yet finalised testing. Everyone has not yet signed off on systems that are in there which are being tested and vetted.

“There are some places in the Critical Care Block that are occupied. But its not 100 per cent occupied and we are waiting for all these other things so we can get moving. In terms of staffing, we are not yet at full staff for the Critical Care Block.

“We hate to give an exact time for an official opening and not meet that. So no there is no set time factor, but we are moving forward and ahead and are pushing for this year.”

The new block with 18 recovery beds, 20 private ICU rooms, a central sterile department, administrative facilities, new laboratory facilities and a new main entrance that is disability friendly was initially expected to be opened no later than June 2013. It was later said that the opening would come four months later in October.

The former Ingraham administration began construction on the facility in November 2011. It has been estimated the block will cost taxpayers around $100m.