Plans are being fast-tracked for the construction of three new operating theatres and recovery room space at the Princess Margaret Hospital, which is expected to ?positively impact? the waiting time for surgical procedures at the state-owned healthcare facility, Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Hubert Minnis said.

Dr. Minnis said the expansion is part of a series of projects and ongoing activities at the PMH that are ?evidence of the Government of The Bahamas? commitment to enhancing the healthcare system in The Bahamas.?

?The Government of The Bahamas remains fully committed to the objective of ensuring that we as a people enjoy the highest possible level of healthcare available and has embarked upon a plan to ensure that Bahamians receive all assistance possible to sustain their well-being,? Dr. Minnis said.

?These initiatives are being implemented with the goal of continually advancing this institution as the best tertiary healthcare facility in the nation and indeed the Caribbean,? Dr. Minnis added.

The Health Minister said the Government has followed through on its promise to facilitate a programme for early detection of common cancers, including pap smears, breast examinations and mammograms in females and prostate examinations in males through the construction of the Oncology Cancer Treatment Centre at PMH.

He said the Centre will be commissioned early next year and that the Ministry of Health has entered into a partnership with United States Ambassador Ned Siegel for a Breast Cancer Initiative aimed at raising the profile of Breast Cancer Awareness in The Bahamas.

?As Minister of Health, I extend the appreciation of the Government and the people of The Bahamas to Ambassador Siegel and his U.S. partners,? Dr. Minnis said.

Dr. Minnis also commended the Cancer Society of The Bahamas for the role it plays and for its ?continued support and encouragement through the provision of resources ? both physical and financial ? and the psychological/emotional connection to all breast cancer survivors and their caregivers.?

Dr. Minnis said the Government of The Bahamas, through the Ministry of Health, the Department of Public Health and the Public Hospitals and Authority, will also implement a number of other programmes at the Princess Margaret Hospital that are all geared towards providing additional quality healthcare and healthcare services to Bahamians.

One such programme is the launch of the Nephrology/Dialysis Nursing Programme that is expected to have far-reaching benefits for patients on dialysis. The Programme launched on October 14 is certified by the Royal College, United Kingdom.

?We expect that 55 Registered Nurses will be trained over the next three years,? Dr. Minnis said. ?This will ensure that adequate numbers of appropriately skilled dialysis nurses and also decentralize dialysis services to alleviate the overcrowding at the main hospital.?

Dr. Minnis said the PMH will also commence an infrastructural programme for the re-development of the Accident and Emergency Department. He said health officials at the facility have already begun work on a service improvement plan for Accident and Emergency that is expected to restructure patient flow while decreasing waiting times.

He said discussions are taking place with regards to extending non-urgent care into adjacent clinic space by the second quarter of 2009.

Dr. Minnis said the healthcare facility has recently completed a $1.5million electrical upgrade to the Surgical Block which includes the purchase and installation of a new generator.

?This particular upgrade is expected to render the electrical glitches and outages that occurred in 2008 a thing of the past,? Dr. Minnis added.

Photo 1: Governor General, His Excellency Arthur D. Hanna is led on a tour of the Princess Margaret Hospital by Acting Principal Nursing Officer Valerie Miller on Friday, December 5 during the Governor General's annual Christmas visit to the healthcare facility. His Excellency was accompanied by Minister of Health Dr. the Hon. Hubert Minnis.

Photo 2: Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Hubert Minnis, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health Camille Johnson and Governor General, His Excellency Arthur Hanna stop in on the Children's Ward during the Governor General's annual visit to Princess Margaret Hospital, Friday December 5. (BIS Photos/Patrick Hanna)