Health Minister reports smooth sailing in new hospital construction

Ongoing construction at the facility

Minister for Health and Environment, Kenneth Darroux, has said that construction of the new national hospital is going “very smoothly,” considering the challenges that were predicted to occur.

He was speaking at a Town Hall meeting Wednesday evening in Pointe Michele.

Darroux said that he thanks God for the smooth construction process and prays that it will continue to be so.

“I really want to thank God and I really want to continue to pray to God that he will continue to grace us with that blessing because we knew that it was always going to be a challenge to build a new hospital on an existing site, and so far I must report that things are going very smoothly,” he said.

He also said that whatever concerns that may have arose, the government “would have put in place” a project management unit to address whatever concerns.

“Even nip them in the bud and move on,” he stated.

According to him, the project is in phase one out of seven phases because of the “peculiarity of this project.”

“We would now have to build temporary buildings to move whatever building we are going to build – temporary building, demolish, build, and move back in,” Darroux explained.

He said that Dominica is “guaranteed a fully functional hospital at the end of the two and half years.”

“As opposed to probably doing a whole year building a new site and afterward to check that this wasn’t done properly etc. So we are guaranteed a fully functional hospital at the end of the thirty months,” he stated.

Meanwhile, designs for the new Marigot hospital is well on its way, according to Darroux.

He said that the Marigot Health District has “not been abandoned…as the Member of Parliament is making it out to be.”

“Yes things would have moved a bit slow, but I am pleased to announce that the cabinet would have sought the approval for appointing a new project officer and architect along with outsourcing the designs for this new project within the Ministry of Health, namely in Marigot,” he said

He stated that $300,000 was allocated to go “full steam ahead” with the designing and preparatory works for the new Marigot hospital, and $1.2-million allocated to the Marigot health district which, in Darroux’s words, “we plan on using to retrofit an old high school to serve as a health center in the future.”

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30 Comments

  1. CONSCIOUS
    March 20, 2017

    This is an example of a subject for investigating reporting. Reporters are saying it is a new hospital. where are the pictures for so long, is it connected to the old hospital that should be renamed. Princess Margaret is not is not contributing anything; the name should be change. The hospital reminds me of a woman who insist on carrying her ex- husband last name and the wedding ring.

  2. anonymous2
    March 17, 2017

    Wait and see. Nothing is on time in DA.

  3. The Eel
    March 17, 2017

    This man cannot give a directive every thing is the prime minister. Get the qualify people in position to ensure things run smoothly. The next election is not far away. Proper records must be kept and staff responsible for their actions. Not even have rostars everything from words of mouth.

  4. The Eel
    March 17, 2017

    The health minister hiding behind The pm and now he wants to hide the Chinees,whilst the staff at PHM IS VERY UNHAPPY and do not take responsibilities

  5. March 16, 2017

    Boy Skerrit knows how to take Dominicans for granted he just have to show them he’s doing something and that he can put money in there hands and they sing like parrots. It’s not worth fighting to separate them from a life of hopelessness and lack of dignity if all they do is believe that Skerrit cares about them, my people have been used and it have to stop, take the money you get from him because it belong to you but don’t sell yourself short we are all feeling the hard times regardless if you labor, UWP, Freedom of independence we are all socking salt because we are all in it together .
    As for the hospital JOE you better ask Skerrit about the gift you believe we got from the Chinese .

    • JOE
      March 17, 2017

      Injustice you do not live on island so you have NO IDEA what you are talking about!!!! One thing for sure it’s a while since we had any increase in Income Tax so i know it is not our TAX MONEY that paying this project!!!!!

      We voted for a political party to develop us and that’s exactly what is happening whether you all like it or not!!!

      I have no questions to ask Skerrit because i know for a fact it is a GIFT FROM THE PRC if you know different spill it!!!! SMDFH!!!!

  6. Lucifer - the great deceiver
    March 16, 2017

    Beware of strangers bearing gifts. The Spartans of old learned a hard lesson from their Trojan Horse experience. I see that that study of history is alien to Dominicans :)

  7. Tj
    March 16, 2017

    Good!

  8. John Jay
    March 16, 2017

    We only seeing a backhoe and no other pics like when you all was moving around PMH. Why dont the mi ister of health get a suitable place for the people petite savanne i stead of fooling us on hospital progress. We need pics.

    • JOE
      March 17, 2017

      John Jay, it is obvious you do not live on island so we will treat your comment as what it stands for BULL SHEET!!!!

  9. ttesa n
    March 16, 2017

    No more sick patients going to Martinique and Guadeloupe?

  10. Real Possie man
    March 16, 2017

    Please remove that colonial slave master name after it is built and replace with one off our local. We need to start renaming streets and other places with our local heroes or people who made contributions in what ever way to our country.

  11. March 16, 2017

    Joe , when they go low you go high , pick your fights , don’t fall for all the negative comments , but I understand you had to let it out .

    • JOE
      March 17, 2017

      Yes wii them negative people there does courtwayea me man!!!!! They are always the first to say we backward, cry down our airport, our sea port our hospital, etc.. Yet when they see things happening to advance the infrastructure they are the first to cry it down, i mean what do they want??? Lennox they want as PM so they couldn’t careless of the progress taking place right before their very eyes? I mean WTF ..

  12. scars
    March 16, 2017

    tele this is of such poor taste why anticipate repairs so soon it is yours too after all.

  13. John Simeon
    March 16, 2017

    Some pictures please! Only way I can believe.

  14. Anthony Ismael
    March 16, 2017

    So $1.5 million dollars will be allocated for the design of a new hospital and retrofitting of an old high school to serve as a future health center. Talk about inefficiency and waste of money. Given the issues with mold and wood ants in the past, how long will the retrofitted building last, before you need to source new funding to build a new health center? Or maybe this health center will be temporary, until the new hospital is complete. You guys are so verbose, without saying much.
    At some point in time, you will either build a new airport in the North and your hospital only costing $1.2 million dollars. This tells me there’s actually no airport in the works and all that hot air being blown by the corrupt DAIC is just another early election ploy by Labor cohorts.

  15. televangelists are false prophets
    March 16, 2017

    5 years and i bet it will need repairs.

    • Chanter
      March 16, 2017

      5? I say 2.5

    • JOE
      March 16, 2017

      YOU TOO NEGATIVE televangelists are false prophets, It’s a gift to us so if we have to repair in 5 years so be it we will just do it… In the mean time i want to thank the Chinese for this great gift!!!

      televangelists are false prophets you are a very UNGRATEFUL PERSON and i hope you never get a favour!!!!!!

      • Kermit
        March 16, 2017

        Joe negativity alone Dominicans living on these days.

      • March 16, 2017

        @Joe please excuse televangelists are false profits, as he or she is only interested trying to get the UWP in office. So people like them will spend a lifetime crying down Dominica and turning every positive event into a negative.

      • Really
        March 17, 2017

        At least it WILL be there to be repaired!!

      • freedom fighter
        March 17, 2017

        A gift? You sure bout that :lol: :-D :-P

    • Anonymous
      March 16, 2017

      And look one!

    • Too Hard Too Long
      March 17, 2017

      Yes, we have to maintain it and, just like when we build a dwelling house, by five years we have to start the preventative maintenance.

    • fed up
      March 17, 2017

      Just like the post office, more than 2 years, maybe 3 now, they fixing it. In front people eyes bullshit happening and they still say things going good… I just cant understand those poor mentality :( WAKE UP PEOPLE, WAKE UP !!!!!!

      • MUDD
        March 17, 2017

        Is it Locals doing the repairs?

      • JOE
        March 17, 2017

        Feds up, who fixing the Post Office? A local contractor from Marigot, and up till now it cannot finish, one reason i will not trust a marigotian as my Prime Minister, because 5 years will pass and nothing!!!!!

        You cannot blame the Government for the incompetent of a fellow local builder, so the Minister was correct about the new bridge…. If we had contracted a foreign firm or the Chinese that project would have been long done!!!!

    • Anthony Ismael
      March 17, 2017

      You mean like the Moroccan hotel? :-P :-P :-P :-P :-P

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