An infestation of mold has resulted in the temporary closure of the Labor and Maternity Ward at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), Health Minister Dr. Perry Gomez confirmed yesterday.

Gomez told The Nassau Guardian that he was made aware of the situation recently and has since made plans to rectify the problem.

He said renovations and clean-up work will begin in the affected ward sometime this week.

Opposition Leader and former Minister of Health Dr. Hubert Minnis brought attention to the issue yesterday. Minnis said the ward has been closed for about two weeks.

He claimed the staff has been working and mothers were delivering their babies in the mold-infested portion of the facility for weeks and possibly months.

According to hospital staff, the ward has been covered in plastic for over a week. Deliveries are reportedly now being done in other areas of the hospital.

Minnis said the government needs to prioritize the completion of the Critical Care Block. "The nursing and medical personnel as well as babies are exposed to mold infestation and the solution sits next door, the Critical Care Block," Minnis said.

He said theaters are already installed there. However, the facility has yet to open. Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) Director Herbert Brown told reporters last week that a date had been set for the Critical Care Block to open.

But he said he was still awaiting Cabinet approval. It has been more than a year since the facility was initially scheduled for completion. Numerous challenges have plagued it.

The PHA recently obtained a $35 million loan for equipment and furniture, Brown said.

PHA Chairman Frank Smith said in recent months that, in addition to not having funding for essential technology, officials had not recruited the staff needed to operate the facility.

Minnis said the government must ensure that there are no further hiccups with the facility.

He said once value-added tax (VAT) is implemented on private health care and insurance, there would likely be increased demand on PMH. The $100 million facility will have a new central sterile department; 18 recovery beds; 20 private Intensive Care Unit rooms; 48 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit beds; new laboratory facilities and a main entry into the facility that is accessible to the disabled, according to officials.

The Ingraham administration broke ground on the project in November 2011 and it was expected to be completed no later than June 2013.

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