The Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) yesterday officially marked a major milestone in national healthcaredelivery with the formal handover and contract signing of the new PHA Harbourside Facility. The ceremony, held at the East Bay Street property (formerly the Red Roof Inn), signals the formal transition of the asset from Doctors Hospital Health System to the PHA public healthcare network.
The acquisition introduces an affordable, high-quality care model designed to bridge the gap betweencostly private services and strained traditional public care. By repurposing the existing modern facility, the government has rapidly expanded the public health network’s infrastructure without encountering years of standard construction delays.
The PHA Harbourside Facility will serve as a multi-purpose medical hub designed to significantlydecompress acute public hospitals, most notably the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), which hashistorically faced severe space constraints. Key features of the new facility include:
Expanded Bed Capacity: The introduction of 46 private inpatient beds to serve as a vital step-downand extended care ward. This allows stable patients to transition out of intense ICU environmentsinto specialized recovery suites where family members can stay on-site with them.
Urgent & Ambulatory Care: A dedicated urgent care department alongside outpatient physicianconsultations, ambulatory care, and chronic disease management.
Comprehensive Diagnostics & Services: Full laboratory and pharmacy access, paired withadvanced diagnostic imaging tools such as CT scans, enabling patients to complete essentialtesting without visiting a main emergency room.
Specialized Rehabilitation: A comprehensive therapy department offering physical, occupational,sports, and speech therapies tailored for stroke, orthopaedic, and trauma recovery.
Renal Care Expansion: A state-of-the-art 6-chair dialysis suite dedicated to treating chronickidney disease and acute kidney failure.
Wellness & Prevention: Targeted counselling for weight management, nutrition, and lifestyleinterventions for diabetes and cardiovascular health.
“The purchase and transition of the PHA Harbourside Facility into our public network is proof of our national health strategy in action,” said the Minister of Health & Wellness, The Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, M.P. “Our goal is simple, to deliver better, faster, and more dignified care to every Bahamian.”
In addition to expanding medical access, Harbourside introduces a revolutionary, financially disciplinedoperational framework. Operating as a revenue-generating commercial arm of the PHA, the facility willutilize a smart cross-subsidization model. Revenue generated from high-margin services, such as advanced radiology diagnostics, laboratory testing, and specialized sports therapies, will directly offset and fund the operational costs of long-term inpatient stays and life-sustaining treatments like kidneydialysis.
Mr. Andrew Edwards, Chairman of the PHA Board of Directors, emphasized the historic nature of thetransition. “Today, we shatter that bottleneck,” Chairman Edwards stated, referencing PMH’s historical limits.
“We are proving that public healthcare can be financially disciplined, globally competitive, and deeplydignified.” The official handover ceremony concluded with the formal signing of contract documents with Mr. Michael Jones of Inline Project Co. and a presentation of the facility’s keys by Dr. Charles Diggis, President of Doctors Hospital, which were accepted by the Chairman and Managing Director of the PHA, Dr. Aubynette Rolle.
Original source: bs