The cleared and smoothed off space at Palmetto Point.
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Deputy Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
THE Minnis administration is considering acquiring an existing building in Palmetto Point, Eleuthera to house a clinic that can suit the health care needs of that settlement, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands told The Tribune yesterday.
This decision, however, essentially means $535,348.77 paid to Carey’s Construction for work on a new clinic will be wasted.
Carey’s Construction was awarded a contract worth $929,875 under the previous Christie administration for work at the site where the mini-hospital was to be constructed.
But from the looks of it, according to photographs posted to the minister’s Facebook account, the contractor got no further than cutting into an existing hill at Palmetto Point, which created a cleared and smoothed off space presumably to place the clinic. The facility was to cost a whopping $27m.
Asked yesterday whether the government had made a decision on how it will move forward with the contract, Dr Sands said: “Well let me put it to you like this, we don’t have $27m to build a clinic. So basically, that hole in the ground is going to stay there.
“What we may do is there are other excellent buildings that we may be able to utilise that we can accomplish what we are hoping to accomplish for much less.
“There is no question that we have to improve the health care infrastructure in central Eleuthera, but there is no point in me promising someone a Rolls-Royce when I know we can’t afford a Rolls-Royce and KIA will do. As a matter of fact, a KIA will do much better than the jalopy that they have now.
“So it’s a matter of right sizing the investment, which we could afford, and even if we have to increase fees, people can actually see tangible benefits and that conversation is the kind of conversation that I am willing to have and am having now.”
He added: “Carey’s construction got $535,348.7. The contract was $929,875. We paid them and now according to the contract we owe $394,526.23.”
Pointedly asked if the mobilisation fee already paid to Carey’s Construction is money wasted, Dr Sands said: “We got a nice hole.”
He continued: “So the problem is we would have done the same thing over and over and over all throughout the Bahamas whereas you give mobilisation and you know you are $500m or $600m in deficit for the year or $2.5bn for five years and yet you still spending money you don’t have and worse off you aren’t paying your bills for legitimate services.
“This was about trying to give hope to the people and letting them believe that better is coming, but what this is, is nothing more than a betrayal because it’s a lie and threatens the viability of the country.
“If at the end of the day that I know on the menu of services we provide even when we eliminate waste, corruption and cut it to bare bones that the cost of providing that service is $400m for 92 clinics, three hospitals, two mini-hospitals, doctors, nurses, medicine, surgical supplies etc, then why would I say to you that we could do it for $307m and then I say to you that we are going to give you another $100m worth of new things? I know that we can’t do it but I am just trying to sweeten you up and that painful conversation is the conversation that we are having now,” Dr Sands said.
On his Facebook page over the weekend, the Elizabeth MP posted several photos showing the site of where the clinic in Palmetto Point was to be constructed.
He captioned the photos with these remarks: “This is the site where millions of tax dollars were spent for the ‘mini-hospital’ in Palmetto Point, Eleuthera.
“The land was purchased from a private vendor as opposed to using Crown land. The purchasing price remains a secret.
“Why they chose to dig this hole as opposed to building on top of the hill or elsewhere remains unclear. Why start such a project when there are glaring unmet needs in health? Why did we not fix the problems and ensure that public concerns get first priority? Why?”
Dr Sands first raised the matter on Thursday night, during his mid-year budget contribution in the House of Assembly. At the time, he also accused the former administration of going forward with the $6.6m upgrade to the Smith’s Bay Clinic in Cat Island despite a nearly 40 per cent decline in visits to clinics on that island in the past decade.
Dr Sands insisted the decision did not follow the advice of the ministry’s technical team, and projections show the expensive build-out of the clinic would have served an average five patients per day. He said while the government wanted the people of Cat Island to have excellent health care it doesn’t mean the government should build expensive edifices that can’t be maintained.
Comments
Porcupine 6 years, 1 month ago
Can someone convince me that this country is not going backwards by the day. Even with all the hooting and hollering, things just seem to be getting worse. If we hired kids just out of college, with absolutely no political experience, does anyone in their right mind think we could do worse? The previous administration needs to be thoroughly investigated, and if convicted of fraud, jailed. The current administration is all about making the last administration look bad. But, if there is no jail time for these law breakers, the behaviour will continue for any administration. I don't give a rat's ass about PLP or FNM. I want justice for Bahamians. We are not getting justice presently. Our own people are telling us to bend over further. Plus, seeking to claw back the hundreds of millions gone missing in this country may allow Dr. Sands to spend a bit more money on Health Care, not political oriented contracts. The Bahamas should pass a law whereby if one has ever held a political post in this country, they will never be allowed to do so again. What other way is there to rid ourselves of these parasites? On top of that, The Bahamas is paying out huge amounts of money in interest on the loans taken out to cover basic necessities for our people. So, these criminal activities today are bankrupting our children's future in this country. The charge of treason should go along with the other charges of fraud, corruption, theft. Oban looks bad, but aren't our own leaders the ones who got us in this MESS? So, who are the jokey ones? The foreigners or us?
joeblow 6 years, 1 month ago
Sands has been itching to be in this position for years. He finally has it and the only thing he seems to be able to do is expose the failings of the former administration.
As a Dr who has been in the system for years and has been shadow Minister of Health he should have had a much better grasp of the challenges in health, should have formulated a workable plan that would have delivered results to the Bahamian people by now. No such luck.
Instead he himself has wasted over $50 million on NHI. This cannot be incompetence, it MUST be deliberate!
DEDDIE 6 years, 1 month ago
You have to admit the excavator driver has skills.
licks2 6 years, 1 month ago
Hehehehehehehehehe. . .first and only thing I was paying attention to around here. . .he/she cut that thing out like it was butter and using a hot knife!! I would like to develop that piece of ground. . . get that same person to cut into that hillside and build a house. . .natural cooling system. . .man could you imagine that?
stillwaters 6 years, 1 month ago
I am getting so tired of the FNM just digging up the PLP's corruption. We know all this .......and more that is still being hidden.........we know there was widespread corruption, but it's time for the FNM to go start doing it's JOB. Don't get me wrong......I don't want to see, hear, or smell the PLP ever again.....but go do your damn job!!!!!!!!!!
licks2 6 years, 1 month ago
You sound like a person who is hired to patrol the city. . .but the last persons who were the patrolled have all the cars but one parked in their yards. . .they have no intentions of giving them back to the city for the new team to work with. . .the new team says that they only have one car. . .so either the city get new cars. . .go get they cars from them tiefs them who have the cars in their yards. . .but you doing like the fool of the bunch. . .shout at the new team with one car a tell them GO DO YA DAMN JOB. . .PATROL THE WHOLE DAMN CITY. . .AND LEAVE THEM PEOPLE WITH THEIR CARS PARKED IN THEIR YARDS. . .CARS THAT THEY STOLE WHILE THEY WERE THE CITY PATROL!! By now I hope that you know that you talking nonsense aye?
BahamasForBahamians 6 years, 1 month ago
Your post is actually nonsense.
If these guys blame the PLP for the entire term - they are worst the city drivers with one car that you are hoping to draw an analogy against.
licks2 6 years, 1 month ago
SO YA GOT MY POINT! YINNA PLP THEM ARE SOMETHING ELSE AYE!!
sealice 6 years, 1 month ago
Who sold all the fill.... as the gubmint dem saying das 1 BEEEGGG hole.....
stillwaters 6 years, 1 month ago
OMG......yes....the fill
realitycheck242 6 years, 1 month ago
Some people got over on selling the fill ......thats for sure......inquiry needed ASAP ! On a lighter note, I did not know you could dig a hole on eleuthera that size and not hit water.!
realfreethinker 6 years, 1 month ago
I want to know who owned the land that the government purchased for this. I am willing to bet there was crown land right next tyo or across from this property. Follow the money
realitycheck242 6 years, 1 month ago
a for PLP cabinet minister in the pindling government owned the land hint hint P B
truetruebahamian 6 years, 1 month ago
Willing to bet on the Bethells! serious crony move! And the fill - where did that go? Who has made money off the quarry?
bogart 6 years, 1 month ago
....what wid dese big holes??
Appreciate Doc Sands and odders followin dere swearing to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second to do good, das his duty to the Queen and the peoples of the Bahamas. Agreed the country going further into the hole to carry on da business...ah jus aint want nomore taxing people to pay the bills.....so just get a move on and fire or jail an get back any money yinna accusing people of.....people tired scrappin an catchin hell.....and sic a hearing who allegedly. tieffing..... Jail da wrongdoers.....people after catchin hell done vote fer action 35 to 4...
Reality_Check 6 years, 1 month ago
The fill (quarry) removed as a result of this large excavation project had a value of well over $500,000. Who pocketed the sale proceeds?
joeblow 6 years, 1 month ago
So someone was paid $500,000 to dig the hole and then the fill was sold for $500,000 for a cool $1 million! Nothing fishy here!
concernedcitizen 6 years, 1 month ago
First they bought the land from cronies , then we the taxpayer paid them to dig thousand of yds of fill to sell ,,the clinic was just the excuse to get the money out of the treasury ,,and yes there have been some crooks in the FNM , that's why Papa cut Watson loose ,but the parties are not the same .From 2012 to 2017 the PLP were a well oiled criminal cartel using every trick possible to rob us and our great grans blind
DEDDIE 6 years, 1 month ago
You miss a step. First they deed the crown land to cronies and then they brought it from the cronies.
bogart 6 years, 1 month ago
.....whoa!! ...back up...back up here..reverse back....reverse back....wasnt Mr. Symonette charged with cutting fown addiyional portions of the hill by east street a highway roundabout snd a law was created to stop people from cutting down hills the natural beauty....an Mr Symonette was fined??......and sometime around that time Saunders Beavh wss sold to the govt for $1. One dollar?......where were the protect the environment people??...if Mr Symonette can get charged so can others......
licks2 6 years, 1 month ago
I een know where you livin. . .where you gettin ya information? Symonette was the one who cut down the "blue hills" and widened the two lanes road used to run through that hill. . .he cut down those hillsides over a period of about 20 to 30 years or more.!!! He was never charged with that cutting! By the way. . .he owned that property. . .not government. . .he just cut it down. . .I remember as a child I used to go on top of that hill and look down. . .dropped rocks on cars there once off twice too!!
TheMadHatter 6 years, 1 month ago
A BIG bunch of idiots. Bring in some Fleetwood trailer homes....maybe 6 of them......total cost $180,000 new. ($30g each) Those will be clinic buildings. The people can choose if they wanna go there for needle and meds or if they want VAT raised to 40%.
Yes it is that simple.
DDK 6 years, 1 month ago
What a stupid waste of high land which is so scarce in our islands.........
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 1 month ago
The Symonette family has been instrumental in flattening our islands for decades, making great profits in doing so.
sheeprunner12 6 years, 1 month ago
Agreed .......... But quarrying is a huge industry that many companies make millions of dollars doing everyday across this country........... The whole of Nassau has been quarried to put out the dump fires and filling in swamps to make sub-divisions and roads etc. ........... Foreigners do the same in Freeport.
bogart 6 years, 1 month ago
See tribune Ingraham champions the importance of planning Friday, sSeptember 14, 2012 .....Papa Ingraham must be commended on his environmental legasy and laws for the land. And land useage. The article deals with almost everything including digging up, fillkng in swampland, duplex in single gamily, people selling from dere garage..etcetcetc very good article
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