The $750 million Scarborough General Hospital is set to receive its first patient on Saturday. Tobago House of Assembly (THA) secretary of Health and Social Services Claudia Groome-Duke said project managers from the National Insurance Property Development Company Limited (Nipdec) have handed over the wards, accident and emergency, theatre suites and the central sterilisation unit which were outstanding.
However, the Ministry of Health still has to take a note to Cabinet to vest the hospital to the THA which has been given approval to begin moving in patients to the wards and to use the additional facilities. Groome-Duke said some items for the sterilisation unit which were in Trinidad will be on site this week for installation but this will not affect operations.
She said a mock transfer of patients will take place today with the assistance from the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA). A team from the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA), the Division of Health, the Ministry of Health, Nipdec and the contractors had a "walk through" last Tuesday.
Groome-Duke also announced that the outpatient clinic, which opened eight months ago, copped the Excellence in Service Delivery Award from the Ministry of Public Administration on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of T&T's Independence. She said the service at the clinic was assessed through a mystery shopper experience by independent people appointed by the Ministry of Public Administration.
The TRHA was presented with two trophies for its achievements. Groome-Duke congratulated the chairman and board members as well as the CEO and staff for the achievement.