NASSAU – Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard says the government’s $300 million plan to build a new specialty hospital raises serious concerns over funding, staffing, and environmental risks. Pintard emphasized that while the government focuses on new construction, existing hospitals face critical shortages of nurses, medication, and supplies, and communities near the proposed site in Perpall Track continue to face persistent flooding.
“The FNM believes every administration has a duty to correct long-standing national challenges, and none is more urgent than healthcare and infrastructure resilience,” Pintard said. “But the Davis administration’s plan to borrow $300 million to build a new specialty hospital raises more questions than answers.”
Pintard highlighted critical shortages of medical staff and supplies. “Health professionals and members of the public have rightly asked how a government that struggles to maintain its existing hospitals, in New Providence and Grand Bahama, intends to fund and staff new ones, plus all the clinics. Currently, there is already a critical shortage of 300 to 400 nurses across The Bahamas, and a shortage of medication and medical supplies, mainly due to payment issues.”
He argued that the government had the opportunity to expand and modernize existing hospitals instead. “Yet instead of fixing what exists, this government is borrowing heavily to construct new facilities without a clear plan for sustainability.”
Environmental and safety concerns were also raised regarding the proposed site in Perpall Track. “Flooding in this district has been a persistent and dangerous issue. Adding major construction without a comprehensive mitigation plan could put lives and property at greater risk. These are not abstract worries; they are the daily realities of Bahamian families who have watched their communities flood repeatedly.”
Pintard noted that under the previous Free National Movement administration, $90 million had already been secured for a five-story extension to Princess Margaret Hospital and upgrades to Rand Memorial Hospital. “A comprehensive master plan, developed through careful research, technical study, and extensive consultation, had been completed and approved as the roadmap for the way forward. The project was ready to begin, with financing secured at an affordable 3 percent interest rate and advanced designs already in hand. Yet, without explanation, the PLP government canceled the project and returned the funds.”
He also criticized the terms of the current borrowing plan. “The decision by the PLP government to borrow hundreds of millions from the People’s Republic of China at far greater long-term cost to the Bahamian people, along with labor arrangements that guarantee 50 percent construction jobs for Bahamians and the remaining 50 percent to be filled by Chinese workers, has raised serious concerns regarding both the funding terms and the limited employment opportunities for Bahamians.”
Pintard said the government must balance fiscal prudence with environmental responsibility. “The government owes the Bahamian people a transparent explanation on how it will fund, staff, and maintain both the new and existing hospitals, and how it intends to protect surrounding communities from worsening flood risk. Until then, these projects appear less like progress and more like pre-election pageantry, expensive symbols built on weak foundations.”
