Friends,
It’s great to be here – and it’s a great day for Palmetto Point.
Today, we break ground on the Palmetto Point Clinic – a vital health facility for Central Eleuthera, which makes good on this government’s commitment to providing quality, accessible health care for all Bahamians.
This facility, built to EDGE certification, will be sustainable, climate resilient, and handicap accessible.
In addition to the main clinic and morgue, there will be a dedicated building for medical waste, as well as a two-bedroom overnight cottage and ambulance garage to facilitate emergency management services.
The good people of Eleuthera can now look forward to state-of-the-art clinic services right at home, ranging from laboratory work and X-ray technology to a fully modern surgery suite.
In moving ahead with construction, we take a bold step forward in our New Day Agenda to develop our Family islands.
As Bahamians, if someone walks into the room while we’re talking about them, we say “boy, you ga live long.”
As much as this administration has been discussing our Family Islands, they are bound to live longer.
But not because of talk. When it comes to our plans for the Family Islands, the proof is in the pudding.
We are delivering on our promises by investing heavily in Family Island infrastructure.
That includes investment in transformative healthcare, in both urban and rural areas – because we believe in improving wellbeing, in all forms, for all Bahamians.
Better care, better access, better health – that’s what this clinic is all about.
So let us celebrate this awesome addition to the public health infrastructure of our archipelago.
The Palmetto Point Clinic is part of a wider policy agenda set to transform the healthcare landscape of The Bahamas and enhance access for vulnerable populations, such as elderly persons with disabilities on the Family Islands.
In addition to a brand new fleet of ambulances, set to be deployed throughout our Family Islands, we also have two new hospitals on the way in New Providence and Grand Bahama, dozens of clinic renovations under our belt, and brand new health facilities on the way not only for Eleuthera, but Andros, Exuma, and Cat Island, too.
We’ve also been hard at work in advancing new legislation to modernise the way we handle mental health, and to facilitate the introduction of a cannabis industry which, above all, will help to heal and empower the Bahamian people.
Health and national development go hand in hand. Healthier citizens make a stronger nation, it’s just that simple.
When our people prosper, our democracy, our culture, and our economy all grow richer in turn.
I am proud to be making good progress alongside my good friend and colleague, Minister Darville.
We are a nation of islands, 700 strong, and this government is working every day to ensure that all islands benefit from transformative investments – not just New Providence.
So, to all those who have helped to bring this groundbreaking to life, I salute you.
This clinic will mean a great deal for Palmetto Point, and Eleuthera, for years to come.
The work continues, my friends. For Eleuthera, for our Family Islands, and for our entire archipelago.
Thank you and may God bless you all.