So the Health Services Authority (HSA) is about to begin a major multi-million dollar capital project to upgrade the George Town hospital.

However, don’t except any frills to be added to the interior or exterior structures that will be apparent to the naked eye when you visit the hospital.

What you will immediately be aware of is some very heavy equipment onsite.

The first phase will start with the replacement of the air-conditioning and chiller system.

HSA Board Chairman, Jonathan Tibbetts, said the chillers would be modern-state-of-the-art.

He said, “We are confident that the HSA has some of the best clinical staff in healthcare, but the delivery of healthcare requires a modern and sustainable infrastructure that provides a welcoming environment to our patients as well as equipment and technology that optimizes diagnosis, patient care and clinical outcomes.

“Our investments in capital improvements are all about providing the best experience for all patients at all HSA facilities. One of those initiatives is the modernisation of our existing chiller or cooling system.”

These new chillers, we are informed, will be more energy efficient, have lower operating and maintenance costs with the capacity to accommodate the hospital’s growing footprint.

This work will commence on 16 November and is estimated to take three years.

How many of you are betting this will take longer?

Otis Air won the contract following an open tender.

Service manager and project leader for the programme is a lady, Shannon Richards. She said the new chillers will not only be able to provide “smoother temperature control not possible with the original chillers”, but be more environmentally friendly than the old system.

That’s good. I’m very pleased the HSA is now doing it’s part along with the local bars with their paper straws, to help reduce global warming. The lady said this was a key factor.

And Rolston Anglin who is chairman of the board’s Infrastructure Subcommittee weighed in with his contribution. He said words to the effect that the major multi-year modernisation programme will include the transformation of patient rooms, expansion of the Accident & Emergency Department. This will improve patient flow and reduce waiting times.

How? It’s a fact of life doctors keep us waiting. How about modernising them?

As for the frills …. “significant changes being planned to improve access and services at the HSA”.

We will have to wait for more details of all these “improvement initiatives.”

So how f[th]rilled are you with the expectant chills?