The Lucayan Medical Centre West on Adventurers Way, which was destroyed one year ago by fire, will be rebuilt on its original site once bidding for the project concludes sometime next month, according to Minister of Energy and The Environment Dr. Marcus Bethel, who is also a major shareholder in the clinic.
Dr. Bethel told the Bahama Journal on Wednesday that once the contract is signed, construction on the new state-of-the art facility will commence.
However, he could not say how much the new facility would cost.
Dr. Bethel said the clinic is needed “as the demand on the island is far outstripping” what the present healthcare facilities can accommodate.
The centre was established in 1968 to provide high quality healthcare to Grand Bahamians and was built through the efforts of Dr. Robert Forsyth.
The centre was upgraded and expanded in 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993 and 1994 to include a multi-specialty ambulatory care facility, modern equipment and full-time physicians.
However, the blaze, which erupted on April 16, destroyed all the centre’s equipment and furniture, forcing six physicians to relocate their practices elsewhere.
Clinic officials were reportedly able to recover 85 percent to 95 percent of patients’ files following the fire.
Chief Superintendent of Police Basil Rahming told the Bahama Journal on Wednesday that police believe the fire was caused by an electrical problem in the building. He said fire officials theorized that wiring in the old portion of the facility attached to wires in a new portion of the building could have played a factor in the start of the fire.
Kaijanna Lockhart, financial controller of Lucayan Medical Centre East, said the new Lucayan Medical Centre West facility would not house any physicians, only laboratory technicians, but it will offer a wider range of services.
“The new centre, which will be located downtown, will be known as the Lucayan Medical Diagnostic and Rehabilitative Centre, and in that new centre we will be incorporating comprehensive and state-of-the-art X-rays, laboratory services, MRI scan, CAT scan, bone densitometry, physiotherapy, speech therapy and a pharmacy,” Ms. Lockhart said.
Meanwhile, Lucayan Medical Centre East will be renamed Lucayan Medical Arts Centre. According to Ms. Lockhart, physicians will work at that centre and there will also be a pharmacy there.
Presently, there are five full-time staff members at Lucayan Medical Centre East, along with four specialty physicians who fly in from New Providence for routine visits.
By: Courtnee Romer, The Bahama Journal
