With the Ocean View Hotel undergoing massive repairs to serve as a COVID-19 hospital, a member of the public says he has been told that the renovations will cost $600m.
The government is said to be funding this but it has remained silent on the terms of the deal with the proprietor of the hotel, Jacob Rambarran.
Member of the public Robbie R Rambarran said that after a site meeting yesterday at the Ocean View International Hotel he was told that works (labour and materials) are estimated to cost approximately $600 Million dollars.
In a post on Facebook, he said “It is a complete rehabilitation of the building including roof, ceiling, floorings (both first and ground), electrical (with a backup generator and air conditions), plumbing, drainage, fencing, landfilling, and landscaping, etc. And, there is a high possibility that this sum will increase.
“This cost doesn’t include retrofitting of the building with beds, ventilators, operating tables and lights, anesthesia machines, etc”.
He said that the following questions remain unanswered:
1) Why is it the government investing such a significant sum in a private property?
2) Why not use West Demerara Hospital? This hospital already has a section for infectious disease, just convert it completely for such. Discharge existing patients that require only homecare and transfer the others to hospitals that are underutilized like Mahaicony, etc.
3) Why such a location on the windward side was considered? When not enough or conclusive info on COVID isn’t available.
