VG Clinic Repairs Progress, Minister Says
Health Minister Vincent Wheatley has updated residents on repair work at the Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre in Virgin Gorda, saying a temporary field hospital is maintaining services while air-conditioning and roof works proceed. He said the AC system is now installed and awaiting final sign-off, and plans are in place to seal the roof and retrofit a second floor to expand local services over the next six to eight months.
Health Minister Vincent Wheatley has given a site update on repairs at the Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre in Virgin Gorda, assuring residents that services are being maintained while work continues to restore and upgrade the facility. Wheatley posted a video to Facebook from the clinic, showing a purpose-built temporary structure on the site.
He emphasised that the unit is a field hospital, not a tent, and explained its role in emergencies or when the main building’s infrastructure is compromised: "This structure is doing exactly what it’s designed to do… It’s not a tent, it’s called a field hospital." The field hospital can accommodate up to 40 beds, Wheatley said, although only a 10-bed section is currently in use because of an air-conditioning failure in the main building.
He told BVI residents the AC has now been replaced and the contractor has applied a special coating to protect the system from the territory’s harsh coastal environment. The new unit is awaiting the contractor’s final sign-off before cleaners are brought in to demould and sanitise the space.
Once the Health Services Authority receives the completion statement, staff and patients will be able to return to a professionally cleaned clinic, Wheatley said. In the short term, the field hospital remains available to ensure continuity of care for patients, workers and visitors to Virgin Gorda.
Looking ahead, Wheatley outlined the next phase of the project: sealing the roof to permit outfitting of a second floor. That work is tender-ready, he said, with an estimated timetable of six to eight months for the roofing and retrofitting phase. The planned second-floor upgrades aim to expand local services so residents of Virgin Gorda will not need to travel to Tortola "for every single ailment," the minister said, calling that the clinic’s vision and hope.
The update will be welcomed by residents who rely on the Nurse Iris O’Neal Medical Centre as the primary health facility on the sister island. The HSA and the Ministry of Health will need to complete the final checks and cleaning before a full return to normal operations, but the temporary field hospital ensures core services remain available during repairs.
Primary source: BVI News