The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville toured the new Freeport Health Campus on Friday, with the long-awaited facility now about 30 per cent complete and its first phase expected to be substantially completed by July 2027.

The 80,000 sq ft facility is being constructed by ABC Construction, with Veritas Consultants Limited serving as the owner’s representative and project agent for the Public Hospitals Authority.

Minister for Grand Bahama Ginger Moxey, West Grand Bahama MP Kingsley Smith and hospital officials were also present.

Dr Darville said the project was now “back in full swing” following the securing of financing through a CIBC loan.

“As you can see behind us, we are now pouring the roof, and once that’s completed and the whole site is sealed in, then we will begin now to do some of the work inside the structure,” Dr Darville said.

He said the project has expanded from its original footprint of approximately 62,000 sq ft to about 80,000 sq ft, with almost 18,000 sq ft of additional space gained in the basement.

The additional space will be used in part as a hurricane shelter and for the Public Hospitals Authority Academy, where training will be conducted.

Dr Darville said the government remains on target to open the first phase of the facility by the end of 2027.

He said the government is also preparing for the second phase of the development, which will include a multi-storey tower housing the majority of the hospital’s beds.

“The Beck Group, who are structural engineers as well as our architects, are now completed the bulk of the design for phase two, and we will soon go out to tender,” Dr Darville said.

John Michael Clark, president and managing director of Veritas Consultants Limited, said ABC Construction is the general contractor for the project and the main structure is now taking shape.

“We are now, is about 30 per cent through the construction. We have all of the foundations and superstructure, the main building up. We're starting to pour the roof. The roof slab is being poured,” Mr Clark said.

Construction has also begun on the facility’s Central Utility Plant.

Mr Clark said substantial completion is planned for the end of July 2027, with commissioning expected to follow and the facility scheduled to open no later than September 2027.

Following the tour, Mr Davis said he was pleased with the progress at the Freeport Health Campus.

“We are here to demonstrate that progress is real and to see the active evolution of that progress here at the Freeport Health Campus,” he said.

Mr Davis said he was pleased to see the project back on track after delays.

He said the additional basement space would provide an important shelter option for residents during hurricanes, particularly in light of Grand Bahama’s experience with Hurricane Dorian.

He noted that the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Dorian is being marked this week.

“To see that you will now have somewhere where people feel safer than they were then is also what I say is a sign of progress for us,” he said.

The Prime Minister thanked Dr Darville, the Ministry of Health team, Wolfgang and ABC Construction for their work in advancing the project despite challenges that had previously slowed its development.

Mr Davis described the project as a facility built for the future, saying expected economic expansion in Grand Bahama would bring population growth and increased demand for healthcare services.

“This is built for the future of Grand Bahama,” Mr Davis said. “And we expect Grand Bahama to be thriving in a way that this hospital will be able to accommodate that exponential growth in the economy that we have here.”

Dr Darville said the existing Rand Memorial Hospital had outgrown its capacity 15 to 20 years ago, making the development of a new facility necessary.

“This is the future for Grand Bahama and the new footprint for tertiary healthcare on the island,” he said.

The first phase of the Freeport Health Campus will provide the foundation for expanded hospital services, while the planned multi-storey tower in phase two will accommodate the bulk of the hospital’s inpatient beds.

Dr Darville said the development was designed not only to address Grand Bahama’s current healthcare needs but also to accommodate anticipated growth on the island.