Problematic CRH restoration sinks deeper into limbo

WESTERN BUREAU:

There is still no word as to when the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) restoration project will be completed, as there has been no communication between key players to discuss the projected 2022 timeline.

The Gleaner has been reliably informed that the five-member oversight committee, which has been established to monitor the Mt Salem-based hospital’s restoration, has not held any of the mandated regular monthly meetings with the contractor and other key stakeholders for more than three months.

LACK OF COMMUNICATION

In an interview with The Gleaner, Professor Archibald McDonald, chairman of the independent oversight committee, admitted that he has not heard from the permanent secretary, the contractor, nor Health Minister Christopher Tufton since April, highlighting the lack of communication, which leaves him without the information needed to provide an update on the project.

“Unfortunately, I can’t give you any update because I don’t know myself. I have not heard from them in a long time, maybe three to four months now,” McDonald said. “I have not heard from the permanent scretary, the contractor, nor the minister, but we are trying to arrange a meeting for September.”

International tendering

McDonald was also unable to say if the international tendering process, which Tufton had intimated that he would be pushing for, had started.

Last year, the oversight committee stated that the renovation work on the beleaguered Type A hospital could be completed by the first quarter of 2022, if the Government speeds up administrative procedures that have been holding back work on the project.

At that time, McDonald complained about the continuous red tape that was slowing down the renovation process and called for greater efficiency.

The hospital, which was established as a 400-bed facility, has been operating below capacity since being hit by a noxious fumes issue towards the end of 2016, resulting in much of its operations being relocated to off-site locations. The renovation work, which started in the immediate aftermath of the noxious fumes issue, has seen numerous missed timelines and an increase in the renovation budget.

Phase one of the renovation initially included fixing the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems on the first floor, which was later expanded to included mechanical, electrical and plumbing renovation on several other floors. That scope of work also included reinforcing compromised beams, new retaining walls, and the removal of the chimney system.

Phase two of the project is expected to cost just about $1 billion, and phase three, which is expected to go to international tender, is expected to cost approximately $3 billion.