Almost 10 months after the Princess Margaret Hospital's (PMH) Critical Care Block was scheduled to be completed, Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) Chairman Frank Smith said yesterday there is no timeline for its opening.
"We are opening a Critical Care Block," said Smith, when contacted for comment.
"We are not opening an office building. We have to test systems. You can't have anything fail on you. That means a life. We prefer to err on the side of caution.
"We are being cautious.
"Everything is being tested and retested. We want to make sure it's done right."
The Ingraham administration broke ground on the project in November 2011 and it was expected to be completed no later than June 2013.
Free National Movement (FNM) Deputy Chairman Dr. Duane Sands said yesterday he does not expect the facility to open anytime soon.
"It is an unbelievable disappointment that we have not yet opened the Critical Care Block and really don't have a definite time when it will be opened," said Sands when contacted for comment.
"It speaks to the distraction of this government running around the globe, down in Trinidad, in the Cayman Islands, in Washington, D.C., and all over the world opining on regional and national issues and not paying attention to what is happening at home.
"Yes we are citizens of the world, but the first order of business is to deal with the issues concerning Bahamians. Health care and education, crime, jobs, all of these are on the back burner with this government. The Critical Care Block is a prime example."
Smith said he will not be distracted by the opposition's criticism.
Last August, officials reported that the facility was 90 percent finished. It was expected to be turned over to the government in October.
The $100 million facility will have a new central sterile department; 18 recovery beds; 20 private ICU rooms; 48 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) beds; new laboratory facilities; upgraded administrative facilities and a new main entry into the facility that is accessible to the disabled, according to officials.
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