The Male Surgical and Children’s Wards  along with the old Intensive Care Unit of the Princess Margaret Hospital  are  to be renovated in less than four months.

According to Health Minister, Dr. Duane Sands, once this happens, there will be an additional 50 to 60 beds.

He said, “those projects have actually started and will put new bed space or reclaim vacant space so we don’t have the hold up in the emergency room with patients waiting in the isles for days for persons to get admitted to hospital.”

As it relates to the dialysis unit, the Princess Margret Hospital Foundation on Thursday assured that beds are on the way. The question now is there sufficient nurses?

“The process of dealing with the challenges of any particular unit is based on full-time staff and then support staff brought in from elsewhere.

“The last time I would have spoken to the new Director of Nephrology,  they were managing reasonably well and that’s not to say that every single shift, if somebody calls is sick that there is not a problem.

“Howeve,  the goal is to manage this is a short term, to recruit additional trained dialysis  nurses, and dialysis technicians to make sure that we have enough coverage and we have also to continue the process of outsource patients to the private sector,” said Dr. Sands.

The ultimate goal is to bring back all those beds taken out of commission.

According to the Minister, there are also hundreds of wheelchairs for every health facility in the country to be distributed once appropriately labeled.