The management of St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) must be quite busy these days. They are working on no fewer than 15 projects financed from the post-Hurricane Irma Dutch-sponsored Trust Fund administered by the World Bank.
A US $25 million grant was received to improve services in the existing complex while the new hospital is being built, and for upgrading the latter’s design to withstand category 5-plus hurricanes. The first relevant public tenders are to be published soon and all within the next six months.
It regards the purchase of goods and several civil works in the fields of construction, renovation and technical installation. Interested companies have already been asked to pre-register.
At the same time preparations are being made to construct the new hospital, for which a building permit was recently issued. As this will be done right next to SMMC, it is very important to take the necessary precautions to minimise the impact on patients, staff and visitors in terms of noise, dust and possible other work-related nuisance, accessibility, etc.
Lessons can perhaps be learned from Curaçao, where the “Hospital Nobo Otrobanda” (HNO) project adjacent to St. Elisabeth Hospital presented obstacles of its own. The immediate surroundings that include the Emergency Services, two nearby schools, a funeral home, the Belair Community Centre and Raoul Illidge Sports Complex should also be considered by the contractor and other parties involved.
Monday’s public consultation round on the draft Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) required by the World Bank was certainly a step in the right direction and more information will undoubtedly follow.
Make no mistake, undertaking this major venture in that location won’t be void of challenges, but if the result is a modern St. Maarten General Hospital that significantly elevates the level of local healthcare and medical treatment while remaining affordable as claimed, they ought to be well worth it.
