By Tynia Brown
Journal Staff Writer
Expansion and upgrades to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) are finally nearing full operation, months after the renovated main entrance remained closed due to delays in the delivery of specialized equipment.
The A&E expansion, part of a broader $143 million hospital upgrade project that began in 2015, aims to improve patient service, privacy, and safety, while addressing chronic overcrowding and bottlenecks that have long challenged emergency care at the nation’s largest public hospital.
In August, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Michael Darville explained that the delays were due to circumstances beyond the government’s control, as the facility awaited a custom-made ventilation system being manufactured overseas — a system that had already been paid for but not yet delivered.
Dr. Darville recently offered an update amid growing public and opposition pressure, confirming that all contractor work on the A&E is now complete and that hospital staff have begun transitioning into the newly refurbished areas.
“The contractors are out of the Accident and Emergency. The entire team at the Princess Margaret Hospital, our emergency physicians and their staff, are moving aspects of the Accident and Emergency into the renovated space,” Dr. Darville said. “Once that process is completed and we transfer the services from the existing tight space that was not renovated into the new space, I will definitely be happy to do a tour with the media.”
The upgraded unit, which held its official opening ceremony in December 2024, is expected to significantly transform the emergency care experience, reducing wait times and enhancing patient flow once fully operational. Dr. Darville emphasized that the remaining steps involve staff settling into the facility and completing phased operational transitions to avoid interruptions in patient care.
In addition to progress at PMH, Dr. Darville also shared updates on the multi-phased Freeport Health Campus project, which had faced setbacks due to funding tied up with a loan agreement from CIBC.
The Health Minister said, “if you were to go on the site now, you would see a lot of traction has taken place. Once the loan was cleared and cash dispersed, the contract is now in full swing. We should have about 125 construction workers at the site moving rapidly to close the structure, put the epico in place, and pour the ceiling so that work inside the facility can begin.”
The Freeport Health Campus is set to bring cutting-edge technology and several essential services under one roof, including an oncology center to provide cancer care to residents in the northern Bahamas. The facility is also expected to serve as a research hub. The project consists of a three-phased plan and will include a 60,000-square-foot clinic, an inpatient surgical suite, and a 126-bed acute care hospital.
Both projects are expected to significantly improve healthcare delivery across The Bahamas, marking a major step forward in modernizing medical infrastructure and patient care services.
