The staff and residents of the Fiennes Institute will soon be operating and living in a more comfortable environment as government authorities work to complete the temporary relocation to the Nurses Hostel building on Queen Elizabeth Highway, a short distance from the current premises.
The move to the Nurses Hostel started yesterday. President of the Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association (ABPSA) Joan Peters admitted being unclear as to how long it will take, but she told OBSERVER the union is doing whatever it can to assist with the move.
“We are assisting however and wherever possible. As early as midday yesterday [Thursday] trucks and other vehicles were parked . . . to assist with the transistion,” Peters said. Over the past two weeks, authorities from the Ministry of Works have been working to ensure that the building is ready to provide a more comfortable space for the elderly residents who are in the care of nurses and other health care staff at the Fiennes Institute.
Their stay at the Nurses Hostel is expected to last for about two months, as was communicated by the Health Minister Molwyn Joseph during a previous press conference. At the end of that period, the staff and residents will be relocated to the Margetson Ward on the old Holberton Hospital compound – where they will remain until a new and purpose-built Fiennes Instituted is constructed.
According to the report from the weekly Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, “The refurbishment of the Nurses Hostel on Queen Elizabeth Highway is nearly complete; the residents of the Fiennes Institute will be temporarily housed at this government building while the 90 year-old buildings at the Fiennes compound are razed and new buildings that are purpose-built to accommodate the elderly are erected.”