Freeport, Bahamas - Over the next 12 months the Public Hospitals Authority will spend almost $4 million redeveloping the Rand Memorial Hospital on Grand Bahama Island.
During a contract signing for the Renovations and Expansion of the Accident and Emergency Department at the Rand Hospital on Friday Health Minister Dr the Hon Hubert Minnis revealed that the majority of the spending will go towards redeveloping the Accident and Emergency Department and the Operating Theatre Suite.
The renovations will help alleviate excessive congestion, patient waiting times, reduce patient and staff journeys, and enhance overall patient experience, Dr Minnis said.
“These investments will ensure vast improvement in the quality of healthcare for all of our valued clients in Grand Bahama and the Northern Bahamas.”
The First Phase of the redevelopment got underway Friday morning with the signing of a $1,751,847.00 contract between Reef Construction Company Limited of Grand Bahama and the Public Hospitals Authority to extend and renovate the existing Accident and Emergency Department.
The project will result in reduced over crowding and waiting times, increase privacy and dignity of patients, minimize patient and staff journeys, create a dedicate trauma centre and establish dedicated ambulance access and enhance security and controlled access, Dr Minnis noted.
The expanded and renovated Accident and Emergency Department will house several new services.
These include waiting areas, Triage facilities, three Asthma Bay stations, three Examination Rooms, one Treatment Room, Nurses and Doctors Offices, Registration/Medical Records, five Emergency Beds, three Trauma Beds, one Orthopedic Room, Patient Bathrooms, Meeting and Counseling Rooms, Staff Lounge/Kitchenette/Bathroom, Decontamination Shower, and dedicated ambulance entrance, drive and covered patio.
The project will begin the last week in November 2009 and will be completed no later than October of 2010.
To accommodate the renovations outlined, the Minister advised that the Accident and Emergency Department will be temporarily relocated to the East Atlantic side of the Hospital.
“Additionally, we will relocate Outpatient Specialty Clinics to leased facility on Coral Road. This new location will allow for improved and more spacious accommodation for patients and staff.
“The renovation of this leased facility is estimated to cost $220,000.00 and we expect work to begin before the end of November 2009 and completed in eight weeks,” he said.
The Second Phase of the Rand’s redevelopment will involve the construction and renovation of a new state of the art Operating Theatre Suite and Support Services, Dr Minnis explained.
This will be done as a means of addressing limitations in accommodating major surgeries, difficulty in providing for orthopedic and other specialties, blocking of surgical in-patient beds by day surgery patients due to the lack of proper day patients facilities, and the need to improve work-flow and infection controls in the Central Supplies Sterile Department.
“These issues will be resolved through the expansion and redevelopment of over 6,000 square feet of interior floor space, namely: re-organizing 3,250 square feet of existing space and 2750 square feet of new construction,” he said.
The estimated cost of the work is around $1.6 million and tender of the project is scheduled to be issued on November 22, 2009 with construction scheduled to begin in February 2010. The projected completion date is slated for February 2011, Dr Minnis said.
When completed the Operating Theatre Suites will consist of the following: two operating theatres, one Minor Procedure/Endoscope Room, three beds for day surgery admission recovery, three beds for Post-Anesthesia Recovery, day surgery changing and waiting rooms, pre/post surgery interview room, Central Sterile Supplies Department, nurse office, doctors office, nurses station and Theatre Equipment Storage.
