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by pltm
(PLTM) - Deputy Premier, Minister Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration, and Ninth District Representative, Hon. Vincent Wheatley hads announced that the Nurse Iris O’Neal Clinic in Virgin Gorda, which has had many completion dates, might be finally opening.
While speaking in the House of Assembly on September 2, during the Private Members business, Hon. Wheatley hinted that an opening date might be finally set.
“Later this month we are hoping to open the Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Center that’s coming on very, very nicely,” the Minister said.
The Nurse Iris O’Neal Clinic was expected to be open years ago, and this is the second time since the February general elections that mention of an opening has been made. The previous announcement was made back in June by Minister for Health, Hon. Carvin Malone.
The Health Minister made the disclosure on June 13, 2019 in his report on his 100 days in office. In mentioning that the clinic which was started since 2015 will finally open, he said, “Looking ahead, we continue to rebuild the health and social infrastructure through ongoing repairs to clinics, community centers and other critical facilities; and look forward to the handover of the new Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre within the coming weeks.”
Prior to the elections in February, it was announced that the Nurse Iris O’Neal Clinic was finally going to open, but that date was struck. Following that announcement, a new administration took the helm and also indicated that the clinic would be opened soon. In fact, funding for the ongoing work at the Nurse Iris O’Neal Clinic was provided for in the 2019 budget.
Last year, the Government announced that it was going to open the facility even if it did not have everything. At that time, December 2018 was the carded opening date. In making that announcement during the August 2018 House of Assembly sitting, then Minister for Health Ronnie Skelton announced, “…We look forward to the Nurse Iris O’Neal clinic being opened in December. I think that’s what we are heading for. No everything would not be complete…But it is important for us to understand that we must continue to build the healthcare system of the country.”
In June 2018 the Ministry of Health announced that work on the Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical clinic is progressing well. The report indicated that the internal partition of the interior wall frames were about 95 percent completed. Additionally, electrical and plumbing works were also said to be 50 percent complete.
The ground breaking ceremony for the Nurse Iris O’Neal Clinic took place on 30 March, 2015. At the start of the project the clinic was expected to cost five million dollars, however that cost bumped up to six point five million dollars.
The mini hospital on Virgin Gorda is expected to operate 24 hours per day and offer emergency care, family care, mental and radiology and many other services.
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