By LINDSAY THOMPSON
NASSAU, Bahamas (BIS) – The Ministry of Health signed contracts with the Beck Group worth an estimated $90 million to expand and upgrade the health facilities at the Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama and the Princess Margaret Hospital in New Providence.
In the form of two contracts, the agreements were signed during a ceremony at Cabinet Office on Tuesday, July 6, 2021.
“The BECK Group has a solid track record of performance in partnership with the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) when redeveloping our public hospitals here in The Bahamas,” said the Minister of Health, the Hon. Renward Wells, who signed on behalf of the Government.
Also present were: Fred Perpall, Principal of The BECK Group; Julian Rolle, Chairman, PHA Board; Linda Gibson, Deputy Chairman, PHA Board; Melissa Wright, Legal Advisor and Secretary to the PHA Board; Catherine Weech, Managing Director, PHA; and other representatives.
“Today, with the execution of two contracts BECK group will once again lend its expertise to planning, designing, and constructing a four-story tower on the premises of the Princess Margaret Hospital. The four-story tower will house Maternal and Child Services, and Medical and Surgical clinical areas,” said the
minister. “In Grand Bahama, a new multi-story tower for in-patient care and ancillary services at the Rand Memorial Hospital (RMH) is also planned.”
He added: “The contracts we sign here today represent the first stage of approximately ninety million dollars ($90M) of investment made by this administration to expand and upgrade the health infrastructure at the Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama and the Princess Margaret Hospital in New Providence.”
The minister noted that The BECK Group has a solid track record of performance in partnership with the PHA when redeveloping public hospitals in The Bahamas.
“The design, construction and commissioning of the Critical Care Block at Princess Margaret Hospital remains one of the most outstanding advances in healthcare development for our nation,” the minister said. “This project was completed as a result of the fine efforts and professionalism exhibited by the BECK group in tandem with the PHA, local architects, engineers and contractors.”
The BECK group, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and PHA, has provided crucial inputs for the improvement of health facilities, including the production of a 2015 Master Plan for the strategic redevelopment of public hospitals.
In April 2021, the Rand Memorial Hospital, which experienced severe flooding caused by Hurricane Dorian in 2019, was re-commissioned.
“Very soon this government would be moving swiftly to initiate the construction of a four-level tower on the site of the demolished Administration and OB/GYN wings. In the event of another major disaster, healthcare services would not have to be displaced, as was the case following Hurricane Dorian,” said the minister.
“At the Princess Margaret Hospital, PHA management has given urgent focus to the development of an immediate, medium and long-term plan to redevelop and upgrade the hospital. The new Maternal & Child Health tower to the east of the Critical Care Block will accommodate inpatient care for Maternal & Child Health, Medical and Surgical services, along with a designated level for ancillary services,” said the minister.
The new four-level (96,288 sq. ft.) tower at PMH is estimated at a cost of approximately $55 million.
“The government is grateful to have accessed a health sector project loan managed by the World Bank Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), which has allowed the financing for these essential health improvement projects.
“The Ministry of Health, PHA and the Ministry of Finance will be working closely to ensure that we meet our projected targets on time and on budget,” said the minister.
