The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

PRINCESS Margaret Hospital plans to install a roll-down security door at the newly renovated Accident and Emergency Department after floodwater entered the facility during heavy rainfall on Sunday.

The proposed door would be designed not only to block water from entering through the ambulance bay, but also to protect the department’s glass entrance during hurricanes and prevent members of the public from breaching patients’ privacy during major emergencies.

PMH managing director Aubynette Rolle said officials are seeking cost estimates and will submit the proposal to the incoming Public Hospitals Authority board for approval.

Mrs Rolle said the hospital’s drainage system was not blocked, but acknowledged that more drains may be needed to manage stormwater flowing downhill towards the ambulance entrance.

The planned security door would provide an additional physical barrier against flooding after water accumulated outside the department and entered through the ambulance bay doors during severe thunderstorms across New Providence.

It would also form part of the hospital’s hurricane preparations by shielding the glass entrance from storm damage.

Mrs Rolle said the door would also allow hospital staff to restrict entry to A&E during mass-casualty incidents and other crises, when large numbers of people may arrive at the hospital and compromise patients’ privacy.

Mrs Rolle said the proposed door and drainage improvements are intended to limit the effects of future flooding, although the severity of extreme weather cannot be predicted.

The flooding came only weeks after Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville announced that the long-delayed renovation of A&E had been completed and the department was fully operational.

Videos and photographs circulated on social media showed standing water in sections of the facility, with people seen walking through the water while wearing protective shoe covers.

PMH said the water did not come from the roof or ceiling. The hospital said an “extraordinary volume” of water accumulated outside the facility before entering through the ambulance bay.

Patients and staff were relocated from affected areas while clean-up work was carried out, allowing medical services to continue uninterrupted. Barriers were placed at the entrance, and ambulance access was temporarily redirected while officials assessed the flooding.

The hospital said its location is heavily affected by flooding and that neighbouring businesses also experienced significant water accumulation during Sunday’s storm.

PMH said it would work with the relevant agencies to identify further measures to reduce the effects of severe weather on the facility.