Yesterday was World Cancer Day. In T&T, patients suffering from the dreadful illness are still awaiting a long-promised National Oncology Centre (NOC) that is expected "to serve as the country's main treatment facility for cancer."
The establishment of the Oncology Centre was promised as far back as October 2002 by former prime minister Patrick Manning when he read the 2002/2003 national budget.
However, some 15 years later and two administrations in and out of office, the centre is still incomplete.
The cost for construction within the 15 year-period would have increased for "a modern, three-storey ambulatory cancer care facility, which will be located on the compound of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) at Mount Hope."
The cost of construction, initially estimated at around $150 million, was put at $800 million in 2012.
The Urban Development Corporation of T&T is the project developer. When complete, the centre is expected to offer cancer patients and their families several services including imaging/MRI scanning, diagnostic, radiation with shielded treatment bunkers, HDR brachytherapy, cyclotron facility, CT stimulation suite with treatment planning, outpatient clinic services, same-day surgical services, biomedical engineering, and pharmacy.
Udecott's website states the centre "will transform the way in which cancer is treated in Trinidad and Tobago by assembling specialists, facilities, technology and treatments in the same place, thereby increasing patients' chances of recovery."
The 2003/2004 budget document stated "construction was expected to begin this year at the EWMSC." Fast forward to the 2008/2009 budget, which said the Government had started the procurement process for the services of a contractor for the NOC and construction was scheduled
In June 2012, at a breakfast meeting to discuss the NOC, former health minister Dr Fuad Khan said the total construction cost of the centre was $663 million, with an additional $52 million for equipment. Construction was expected to be 18 months and commissioning of major equipment expected to be six months.
He said the start of construction was November 12, 2012, and opening and operation of the centre scheduled for November 2014. However, the People's Partnership government spent five years in office and was unable to have the facility up and running.
Udecott boss: Project to be completed by end of 2018
Chairman of Udecott, Noel Garcia, told the Sunday Guardian the centre was one of those projects that seemed to be plagued by issues that would not allow it to go forward.
Work is expected to restart "in full" next month. The cost is expected to be around $573 million, $227 million less than the figure put forward in 2012.
Garcia said, "It's been about 15 years now and we have had many administrations but I have committed that one of the tasks that I have is the completion of the centre."
He gave November 2018 as the new deadline for completion.
"We had some challenges. The original architects (Farrow Architects) went into bankruptcy. Then we had some issues with the equipment. Then the contractor had to re-design the foundation to meet the specifications of the earthquake code," he added.
The contract is for design-build-equip.
He said, "We are confident that all things being equal, we should be up and running towards the end of 2018."
Completion dates for other priority projects are the Brian Lara Stadium–February 18; the Red House–2018; and Whitehall–end of 2017.