PRESS STATEMENT
Chairman Dr. Duane Sands: PLP’s Chinese Hospital Three Times The Cost of Scrapped FNM Plan
The Free National Movement (FNM) is condemning the Davis Administration for abandoning a fully financed and shovel-ready hospital upgrade, only to turn around and borrow three times the amount from China with no transparency, no labour protections, and no credible plan to fix the country’s current healthcare crisis.
“Don’t forget: Under the FNM, $90 million was secured for a five-story modern extension to Princess Margaret Hospital and upgrades to Rand Memorial Hospital. That project was ready to begin, with approved financing at an affordable 3% interest rate and advanced designs already in hand, but the PLP canceled it without explanation and sent the funds back.”
“Now, in an act that defies common sense, the same government has agreed to borrow $267 million from the People’s Republic of China. Worse, they’ve agreed to a labour arrangement that guarantees only half of the construction jobs will go to Bahamians, with the remaining 50 percent going to Chinese workers.”
“While the government signs away our future, the FNM stands firmly with healthcare professionals across the country who have raised alarm about this government’s misguided priorities. Four in five doctors have already said they do not support the PLP’s hospital plan. In fact, more than half said it would do little to reduce burnout or improve patient outcomes. These are the voices on the frontlines, and their message is clear: this project does not solve the problems that matter most.”
“Rand Memorial Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) remain in a state of crisis, characterized by underfunding, understaffing, and overcrowding. The institutions Bahamians rely on daily continue to crumble, even millions of dollars in borrowing later.”
“No foreign-funded construction project will change the unfortunate truth that this government doesn’t have a plan to fix our broken healthcare system.”