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Although construction of the Point Fortin General Hospital began in 2015, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says the loan to finance the project was only received from the Bank of Austria two months ago.
Deyalsingh together with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley toured the new hospital which is expected to be completed by May 2019 and operational by September 2019.
Under the Government-to-Government arrangement with the Government of Austria, Deyalsingh said the last administration was supposed annex specific projects.
However, he said the Point Fortin hospital was not listed as a project by the last administration. As a consequence, Deyalsingh said, when the Government came into office in 2015 there was no financing for the project.
He said it took them a year and a half via diplomatic notes before they received the loan from the Bank of Austria.
“It was left to us to regularise that issue and put it on a legal footing in June 2018. I mean these things are lost on the population but they impact on the relationships we have with our overseers partners like the Bank of Austria. It was an unforgivable omission, Deyalsingh said during an interview after the tour.
The minister said the project was initially carded for $1.5 billion, but the Government reduced it to $1.2 billion by cutting Udecott’s consultancy fees.
This was done without touching a square foot of the hospital or taking out one bed, said Deyalsingh, who added: “The project is expected to come in at around TT $940 million so we are well within budget and hopefully all things being equal on time by May 2019.”
He said the project would generate some 800 to 1000 jobs in all disciplines needed run a hospital,including security, administration, bio medical, nurses, interns, house officers, cleaners and consultants.
He expects the hospital to be staffed by a mixture of local and foreign doctors and nurses.
Rowley did not speak with the media, but Deyalsingh said he was pleased with the project’s progress.
Regarding concerns about snakes at the existing Point Fortin health facility, Deyalsingh said it was a serious issue.
South West Regional Health Authority CEO Keith McDonald, who was also on the tour, said Point Fortin mayor Abdon Mason and staff of the hospital sprayed the facility and it would be sprayed again. “
On Saturday I visited the hospital and there was one incident of a snake being there which was outside on the fence, it was captured and brought into (the compound),” he said.
McDonald assured that the situation was under control.
The new hospital at Techier Village is expected to comprise three storeys, 100 beds for inpatients and 16 additional beds for day care and four operating theatres.