Health Minister says $9.4 billion spent so far on CRH rehabilitation

 

Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton has sought to put to rest what he calls reckless and hypocritical criticisms by the opposition over ongoing multi-billion dollar upgrades at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH). 

 

Dr. Tufton argues that the state of the 10-storey facility is not a sign of failure on the government's part, but the rather maintenance neglect, poor planning and inadequate evaluation of the challenges at the hospital. 

 

He insists that the government's spending since taking office in 2016 is an investment in lives and not a waste of taxpayer dollars. 

 

"By 2009, air quality issues emerged across multiple floors, which worsened by 2015. It is they, for the most part, who neglected the problem from then, which led to this serious deterioration and which we now have to fix, this government. We have to respond to the crisis of collapse by building out a set of infrastructure to serve patients while shutting down the main building for repairs - all this while suspending renovation activities for three years to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. That's the context that they conveniently avoid," said the minister.

 

He noted that he regretted the inconvenience caused by the time it has taken to reopen the hospital, but rejected "any notion that this was either deliberate or based on anything untoward".

 

The opposition has been firm in its critique of the government's scale of spending, arguing that costs have ballooned in the eight-year project, which is near completion.

 

At the reopening of the hospital's administrative block in late April, Dr. Tufton confirmed that the project's updated cost was $23.5 billion. But on Tuesday, the Health Minister sought to clarify that that figure was a projection.

 

"Every time I hear an opposition member reference Cornwall Regional, they move the figure from 23 to 26 to 27 [billion dollars]. Up to this point, we have spent $9.4 billion - $620 million on professional services, $5.8 billion on works, $235 million on medical equipment, $2.2 billion on the operation of temporary facilities and close to $524 million on support services. The much talked about $23 billion price tag is a projection...but we haven't spent it as yet. The narrative therefore of criticising cost overrun is not only an exaggeration, it is a dishonest description of the challenge that we face," he complained.

 

Dr. Tufton was making his contribution to the sectoral debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon. 

 

The opposition has called for a special audit to be conducted into the work at Cornwall Regional Hospital. However, Dr. Tufton said an assessment is already underway by the Auditor General. 

 

Meanwhile, Dr. Tufton said the ministry is to implement measures to ensure operating theatres at hospitals remain functional.

 

"At any point in time, we have between 25 and 20 per cent of our operating theatres down. We have about 73 in the country public health system, including 17 at the University of the West Indies," he noted, adding that he has been speaking to the surgeons and administrators to find a solution.

 

As a result, the minister said, he has asked the regional health authorities to do the following.

 

"Firstly, to appoint an operating theatre manager at each hospital whose responsibility it will be to ensure the best practice protocols are followed for scheduled maintenance and usage. Some hospitals have operating theatre managers, some do not. We are going to standardise it across the board. Secondly, develop and implement a revised policy on supplier servicing and inventory of parts to ensure quick turnaround for repairs. And that's important because oftentimes, you have the money to pay for repairs, but the supplier tells you you have to wait two months or three months, which to my mind is unacceptable in an essential service."