The construction of the Dennery Polyclinic has been suspended.

Officials said that due to challenges, the completion time will be lengthened, but assured that all is being done to get the project back on track.

The project, which was expected to be completed within a period of 18 months, needs modifications to its design.

Managing Director of the supervisory consulting firm, Egbert Louis, explained.

“One of the critical issues is that during the excavation for the foundation, we recognized that there are two or three ravines that pass through the site. This meant that we would need to undertake some sort of redesign of the structure. This was one of the pieces of information that the contractor requested. Currently, we have a number of requests for information that remain unanswered and so the ministry has to seek alternative services in order to move forward.”

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ivor Daniel, said the various ministerial departments have been working in tandem to address the challenges speedily.

“At the Department of Infrastructure we have been attempting to respond to those requests for information which has resulted in many hours of discussion and deliberation at the Department of Economic Development, along with the Department of Health.”

The Ministry of Economic Development said its goal is to deal with the setbacks expeditiously.

“We are working assiduously to have it done in the shortest possible time. We’re looking at having the design modifications completed in the shortest possible time and from there we will be able to determine the cost.”

The sod turning ceremony for the construction of the Dennery Polyclinic took place on March 8. The site for the new polyclinic is in Bois Jolie, Dennery. The polyclinic project falls under the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (DVRP), funded by the World Bank at a cost of EC$5 million. The new clinic will provide a wider range of services than what currently obtains at the Dennery Hospital.