By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Minnis administration is considering acquiring an existing building in Palmetto Point, Eleuthera to house a clinic that can suit the health care needs of that settlement, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands told The Tribune yesterday.

This decision, however, essentially means $535,348.77 paid to Carey’s Construction for work on a new clinic will be wasted.

Carey’s Construction was awarded a contract worth $929,875 under the previous Christie administration for work at the site where the mini-hospital was to be constructed.

But from the looks of it, according to photographs posted to the minister’s Facebook account, the contractor got no further than cutting into an existing hill at Palmetto Point, which created a cleared and smoothed off space presumably to place the clinic. The facility was to cost a whopping $27m.

Asked yesterday whether the government had made a decision on how it will move forward with the contract, Dr Sands said: “Well let me put it to you like this, we don’t have $27m to build a clinic. So basically, that hole in the ground is going to stay there.

“What we may do is there are other excellent buildings that we may be able to utilise that we can accomplish what we are hoping to accomplish for much less.

“There is no question that we have to improve the health care infrastructure in central Eleuthera, but there is no point in me promising someone a Rolls-Royce when I know we can’t afford a Rolls-Royce and KIA will do. As a matter of fact, a KIA will do much better than the jalopy that they have now.

“So it’s a matter of right sizing the investment, which we could afford, and even if we have to increase fees, people can actually see tangible benefits and that conversation is the kind of conversation that I am willing to have and am having now.”

He added: “Carey’s construction got $535,348.7. The contract was $929,875. We paid them and now according to the contract we owe $394,526.23.”

Pointedly asked if the mobilisation fee already paid to Carey’s Construction is money wasted, Dr Sands said: “We got a nice hole.”

He continued: “So the problem is we would have done the same thing over and over and over all throughout the Bahamas whereas you give mobilisation and you know you are $500m or $600m in deficit for the year or $2.5bn for five years and yet you still spending money you don’t have and worse off you aren’t paying your bills for legitimate services.

“This was about trying to give hope to the people and letting them believe that better is coming, but what this is, is nothing more than a betrayal because it’s a lie and threatens the viability of the country.

“If at the end of the day that I know on the menu of services we provide even when we eliminate waste, corruption and cut it to bare bones that the cost of providing that service is $400m for 92 clinics, three hospitals, two mini-hospitals, doctors, nurses, medicine, surgical supplies etc, then why would I say to you that we could do it for $307m and then I say to you that we are going to give you another $100m worth of new things? I know that we can’t do it but I am just trying to sweeten you up and that painful conversation is the conversation that we are having now,” Dr Sands said.

On his Facebook page over the weekend, the Elizabeth MP posted several photos showing the site of where the clinic in Palmetto Point was to be constructed.

He captioned the photos with these remarks: “This is the site where millions of tax dollars were spent for the ‘mini-hospital’ in Palmetto Point, Eleuthera.

“The land was purchased from a private vendor as opposed to using Crown land. The purchasing price remains a secret.

“Why they chose to dig this hole as opposed to building on top of the hill or elsewhere remains unclear. Why start such a project when there are glaring unmet needs in health? Why did we not fix the problems and ensure that public concerns get first priority? Why?”

Dr Sands first raised the matter on Thursday night, during his mid-year budget contribution in the House of Assembly. At the time, he also accused the former administration of going forward with the $6.6m upgrade to the Smith’s Bay Clinic in Cat Island despite a nearly 40 per cent decline in visits to clinics on that island in the past decade.

Dr Sands insisted the decision did not follow the advice of the ministry’s technical team, and projections show the expensive build-out of the clinic would have served an average five patients per day. He said while the government wanted the people of Cat Island to have excellent health care it doesn’t mean the government should build expensive edifices that can’t be maintained.