A high-ranking representative of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has praised the Critical Care Block (CCB) at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) as a state-of-the-art facility that can be placed on par with similar facilities in America.

PAHO Director Dr. Carissa Etienne said the CCB’s technology gives it an edge in the region, qualifying it to test for Ebola and other infectious diseases, something other Caribbean countries cannot do in-house. This coincided with the announcement by Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) Managing Director Herbert Brown that all theaters are now fully functioning along with the intensive care unit and all labs.

This is indeed good news for every citizen and resident of this country, as access to quality healthcare is among the top priorities for any family. At the same time, however, those among us who value the timely and efficient administration of public affairs would do well to remember the long and twisting road that led us to this point.

The opening of the CCB, commissioned by the former Free National Movement (FNM) administration to provide urgently needed services, including neo-natal intensive care treatment to critically ill newborns, took place more than a year and a half after originally envisioned. The unit cost the public treasury more that $100 million to construct, yet PMH was forced to take out a $35 million loan from CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank in order to buy furniture and other equipment.

In their attempts to explain the delays and funding shortfalls, PHA Chairman Frank Smith and Health Minister Dr. Perry Gomez repeatedly fell over themselves and each other – one claiming a shortage of staff, the other furniture. Later the story became a lack of equipment and the need to test the readiness of “systems”.

Then came an audit by accounting firm Grant Thornton, which found “improper accounting” in relation to the CCB.

Then, in January 2015, when things finally seemed to be on track, the commissioning of the CCB was delayed yet again – this time, in order to accommodate Prime Minister Perry Christie’s schedule. According to Smith it was “only fitting” that Christie, at the time visiting China in his capacity as CARICOM chair, should be there to see this vital addition to the public healthcare system officially launched.

“We have control over when we commission that,” he helpfully explained.

The fact is, Smith in particular and Christie’s government in general are guilty of badly mismanaging this matter since they came to office in May 2012. While the CCB may indeed be an exemplary healthcare facility of which we can all be proud, it is very much a case of “better late than never”.

From the perspective of those who badly needed but could not access its services over the past 18 months while the circus of incompetence and mismanagement whirled on, there is nothing here for our current crop of politicians to congratulate themselves about.