Despite media reports to the contrary, officials at the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) on Tuesday denied that there is a mould infestation on the Princess Margaret Hospital’s (PMH) Maternity Ward.

In a press release issued yesterday PHA officials said they saw it fit to bring clarity to an article carried in Monday’s Nassau Guardian which made the claims.

“The PHA wishes to report that although initial reports originally filed by staff at the labour ward theatre suggested the presence of mould, a full investigation by the facilities management team at the Princess Margaret Hospital was conducted and no mould was found,” the statement read. “The Authority is happy to report that the scheduled repair and refurbishment work in the labour theatre, which began last week, is now complete; and the theatre will be ready for operation on (today).”

The statement added that the renovations conducted to the labour ward marks part of the PHA’s overall repair and refurbishment programme which commenced more than two years ago to provide for consistent maintenance to institutions and clinics under the Authority’s care.

“The phased plan takes into consideration patient volumes, staff flow, and hospital services and spans short-term, mid-range and long-term goals and priorities to remediate, repair and upgrade the infrastructure and facilities at PMH, Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre (SRC) and Grand Bahama Health Services – including the RAND Memorial Hospital,” they added.

“Further, much of the work underway is essential considering the hospital is more than 50 years old. Therefore ongoing repairs to the facility will continue until the planned redevelopment of the entire facility is completed.”

Hospital officials said under the refurbishment plan the Authority recently completed the renovation and refurbishment of the Children’s Ward North, the new Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and the Eye Ward North including the Eye Wing Theatre at PMH.