The St. Maarten General Hospital construction site. (File photo)
CAY HILL--St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) resumed construction of the new St. Maarten General Hospital as of Monday, June 15, after construction activities were temporarily paused due to the COVID-19 lockdown and associated general restrictions prevailing in St. Maarten.
SMMC said in a press statement that design activities have continued in the last few months, which will result in the resubmission of the final design of the new hospital in July.
Besides completing the final design, the contractor resumed construction activities on site starting June 15. This included mobilisation activities, which were paused due to COVID-19, such as cleaning up the site, installation of site offices and construction of a new site entrance from the roundabout at Welgelegen Road/G.A. Arnell Boulevard (Link 1). The planned construction activities will not affect COVID-19 care or any other regular patient care currently administered at SMMC.
In July 2020, after site mobilisation is completed, the contractor will start with excavation and preparation of the subsoil for construction of the hospital and additional technical buildings. These works are expected to continue for several months thereafter. All activities will be performed taking into account the government’s and SMMC’s COVID-19 rules and regulations.
SMMC said that as construction of the new hospital resumes, it will also mark the start of a lengthy period of certain inconveniences, such as noise, dust, increased construction traffic and alternative parking, etc., for patients, visitors, neighbours and staff.
SMMC said it is in close contact with stakeholders to advise on the next steps in the construction process, to mitigate any possible inconvenience. It apologised for any possible inconvenience that is caused while construction of the new hospital resumes, “as SMMC continues its mission of raising the level of health care in St. Maarten and providing the community of St. Maarten and surrounding islands with quality care close to home.”
