Even at $4B, CRH renovation still more cost-effective than new build - McDonald

Insisting that the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) will better than before the renovations, the head of the oversight committee overseeing the work says it will now cost $4 billion and that completion is now slated for the end of 2020.

Chairman of the CRH Independent Oversight Committee, Professor Archibald McDonald, in providing an update during a press briefing at the Grand-A-View Restaurant and Event Place in Montego Bay, St James, last Thursday, said while slight challenges were experienced in the project’s execution, the decision to renovate rather build a new hospital is more cost effective.

According to McDonald, it would have cost the country in the region of $30 billion to construct a new facility, as opposed to the current $4 billion it is now costing to renovate the existing 10-storey structure. The cost of the renovation at CRH was last estimated at $3.5 billion, which has been revised upwards more than once. 

“The building is structurally sound and the reason it is the way it now is, is because of poor maintenance. The cost of a new hospital that size is somewhere in excess of $30 billion, which I think is beyond the people of Jamaica,” he emphasised, adding that the committee members “are encouraged by what we see”, in relation to the completion.

He told journalists that the project is being executed in three phases, noting that work on the roof of the 10th floor, under the first phase, has been completed.

McDonald said phase two, which includes the demolition of interior walls and further strengthening of the hospital roof, is “progressing well”.

Additionally, he advised that a contractor is now being sought for the third phase.

“We are now going through the process of engaging a contractor for that phase. Once that contractor is on board, that is when you will [begin to] see… visible work going on,” he said.

McDonald stressed that the committee is ensuring that “the people who are doing the project conform and align themselves with the Government procurement guidelines”.

“Let me assure you that they are doing that. They are not breaching the guidelines. They are being very careful about that,” he said.

McDonald explained that the main challenge facing the project is ensuring that the building is dry in order to address air quality issues caused by mould.

The oversight chairman, who is a medical doctor, said while challenges persist at the facility, the team is pleased with the level of service being offered.

In this regard, he lauded the staff for “going beyond the normal requirements” to ensure that operations continue.

“I would like to commend the staff of the Cornwall Regional Hospital and the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) for their hard work. Based on statistics, in every single area of service offered at the hospital, it is at approximately 90 per cent of where it was before the closure of the main tower,” McDonald pointed out.   

He maintained that when the project is completed, “Cornwall Regional Hospital will be better than what is as before the problems started”.

The CRH Independent Oversight Committee was appointed by Health and Wellness Minister Dr. ChristopherTufton, to oversee the ongoing restoration of the 10-storey facility.