PHILIPSBURG–Minister of Public Health VSA Emil Lee reported on the progress of the new St. Maarten General Hospital Project during Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing. The VSA Ministry has almost completed the new design of the hospital with post-Hurricane Irma specifications.
Lee said, the company responsible for the design of the new hospital had to redesign their work after devastating Hurricane Irma, allowing contractors to build a more hurricane-resistant complex. This work is expected to be finished by August.
Some of the key actions and new services the new hospital will offer are acquiring Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation and establishing quality and care policies and procedures to meet international standards, including hygiene compliance and feedback mechanisms for patient safety improvement; a minimum of 70 new vacancies for additional medical and support staff to increase quality care and service; continuing education sessions for current St. Maarten Medical Center staff and specialists; upgrading quality of care and expanding skillsets; and new specialities “at-home” such as urology, neurology, orthopaedics, haematology, ophthalmology and pulmonology.
The new hospital will reduce the need for medical referrals abroad. There will be an on-site medivac heliport which will increase efficiency for emergency cases, and increased capacity from 66 to 110 beds in clusters of one and two beds per room. Maximum of two beds per room.
The general hospital also is planned to house four state-of-the-art operating theatres, including one with a (limited) heart intervention lab, a dedicated dialysis centre, telemedicine for diagnosis and treatment by specialists abroad, rotating specialists and improved parking facilities.
Lee said on Wednesday that before the official ground-breaking in December this year, the building permit needs to be issued by the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI.
World Bank representatives recently completed the project appraisal document, which was mandatory for the funding grant of US $25 million for the project.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/78506-new-hospital-design-to-be-completed-by-august
View comments
Hide comments