Work starts on new British Virgin Islands hospital
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| Published on Thursday, April 19, 2007 |
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ROAD TOWN, BVI: Excavation work to build a new hospital in the British Virgin Islands is in full swing as the contractor makes room for the sub-level space to connect the Accident and Emergency Unit to the new hospital.
Clerk of Works for the project Danny Stoutt says Level 0, which happens to be the lowest level of the new hospital building, matches the level of existing Accident and Emergency Unit and will provide the needed space for connecting the two buildings.
“This sublevel space will provide the storage space, transition area as well as elevator access from the Peebles Hospital Extension to the new hospital for patients being admitted or requiring surgery,” he noted.
Stoutt says that the present excavation work is expected to take no more than two weeks. However, limited, localised excavation work is scheduled to take place later in the project.
He says these works are being spread among a pool of different local sub-contractors and excavation material is being stockpiled at an area near Duff's Bottom. Once completed, he said, the contractor is scheduled to proceed swiftly into constructing the foundation and footings.
At the same time, Stoutt said, contractors for the new hospital are constructing storage and staging areas in the empty lot located between Queen Elizabeth II Park and the Road Town Helipad off Waterfront Drive.
He says members of the contracting crew will be erecting a large storage building to house, store and secure the building material for the hospital construction along with two project offices.
Executive Council gave approval in late December 2006 to award the contract to Mirsand-Carimex-Quantum at an approximate sum of $63.9 million.
The new 150,000 square foot, six-storey facility is to be built on the property directly behind the existing hospital.
The facility will include 128 beds, three standard-sized operating theatres, at least two nursing stations to support each of the major hospital wards, three labour and delivery rooms, a physiotherapy wing, new pharmacy and medical records unit, psychiatric inpatient unit, a chapel, cafeteria and gift shop.
The new designs, which were completed by the Dallas architectural firm PageSoutherlandPage (PSP) includes all the amenities of the designs proposed originally but with more floor space and more parking.
Government revisited the original designs for the previously planned hospital with a view to reducing operational cost while increasing its function and practicality. |
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