Is Work on the New $285M West New Providence Hospital Progressing?

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – It’s been months since preliminary work began on the controversial new hospital in West New Providence, but today, there seems to be very little happening at the site.

So what’s happening with the project?

Back in June, Health Minister Dr. Michael Darville said more activity would be visible by early July.

However, more than two months later, there appears to be little visible change at the site.

It was back in April when government officials broke ground on the $285 million project, one of the country’s biggest healthcare developments in years.

The 200-bed facility is expected to take some of the pressure off Princess Margaret Hospital, with maternal and child health services, diagnostic labs, infectious disease facilities, and the National Morgue among the services planned for the site.

The government says the hospital should be ready for occupancy within 30 to 36 months, putting that somewhere between late 2028 and early 2029, if everything stays on track.

However, the project has faced pushback from the start.

The hospital is being built on a 50-acre site off the New Providence Highway, near established residential communities.

As a result, some of those residents have questioned what a development this size will mean for their neighbourhoods.

Stapledon Resident –

“When this hospital does come down, the sirens and the traffic, how are we gonna deal with that?…”

Meanwhile, there has been political pushback, with Former Health Minister Dr. Duane Sands being one of the project’s strongest critics, questioning both the hospital model and the arrangement behind it.

Dr. Duane Sands – Former Health Minister

“Four out of five doctors have said it’s a dumb idea. You don’t have the staff, you’re gonna split up the equipment and so on and so forth. So you start with a dumb idea and then you create a geopolitical nightmare for The Bahamas…”

Sands’ comments followed concerns raised by U.S. Ambassador Herschel Walker about the project’s financing and staffing arrangements.

Despite this, the government has stood by the project, insisting the country needs more hospital space and modern healthcare facilities.

Now, the the focus is on when major construction will actually begin, and whether the project can still be delivered on time and on budget.