Budget 2024: New hospital at Arnos Vale will be 50 percent bigger than MCMH

By Admin. Updated 5:55 a.m., Tuesday, January 9, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

The Acute Care Hospital that is to be constructed at Arnos Vale will be 50 percent bigger than the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital.

Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, and Technology – Camillo Gonsalves said the 134-bed hospital will be built at the top end of the former ET Joshua airport tarmac.

“At 200,000 square feet, the Acute Care Hospital will be 50 percent larger than the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, and use that extra space in a far more efficient manner,” he said.

He was making the opening contribution (the Budget Address) to the 2024 Appropriations Bill in Parliament.

He said after much planning and negotiations with the World Bank which is funding the project, the government is now at the point where it will select the contractor who will actually build the hospital.

Physical construction will begin in the second half of 2024, he said.

“The Acute Care Hospital will cost approximately $200 million to build and $40 million to equip, he said.

The finance minister said the new hospital “will provide services in all domains of acute hospital care including trauma care, acute care surgery, urgent care, critical care, emergency medicine, inpatient stabilization, and outpatient care.”

He said: “The facility will also offer a full range of allied health services required to support diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitative interventions including medical laboratory technology, radiography, pharmacy, audiology, optometry, physical therapy, psychology, and social work”.

“The Acute Care Hospital will also contribute to an increased capacity to treat climate-induced diseases and injuries, such as those resulting from heatwaves, hurricanes, and other climate shocks, which are expected to increase in frequency and severity in the future. Critically, the Hospital will also play a major role in the management and treatment of non-communicable diseases,” he added.

What will happen to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital when the Acute Care Hospital comes into existence?

The finance minister said the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, in turn, will continue to offer its own accident and emergency services, while also becoming a specialist hospital for the health and wellbeing of women, children and families.

He added:

“However, while construction of the Acute Care Hospital will begin this year, the Hospital itself is part of a wider ongoing healthcare reform initiative called the “Strengthening Health System Resilience Project.” The entire project is a $265 million operation that also includes technical assistance, capacity building and infrastructure to create a safe, resilient, and transparent environment for sustained health service delivery and strengthened hospital performance. Budget 2024 allocates $33.5 million to the project this year.”