Questions Raised Over Stalled Bellevue Hospital Expansion | RJR News

By Kimone Witter  

Plans for the expansion of the Bellevue Hospital are in the spotlight as questions have arisen over which entity should be held responsible for the stalling of the procurement process.

Opposition Spokesman on Health and Wellness, Dr. Alfred Dawes, has called for Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton to launch an independent investigation into the Bellevue Hospital procurement process and to hold accountable the officers responsible for the failure to advance the long-promised expansion of the facility.

Dr. Dawes said his call follows confirmation from the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) in a August 31 statement, that despite the Government’s 2022 announcement of plans to construct a 100-bed mental health facility at the hospital, no procurement submission for the project has ever been presented to the Commission.

Dr. Dawes says the revelation directly contradicts comments made by Minister Tufton in an August interview with The Sunday Gleaner.

At that time, Dr. Tufton stated that a procurement submission had been returned by the PPC for re-evaluation in May 2026 and referred to years of back and forth with the Commission. 

“The Commission’s response was clear. It could not have returned what it never received. That leaves only two possibilities. Either the minister was misled by his own Procurement Unit for years, or he knew the truth and blamed an independent commission instead. Both demand consequences. The minister spent this year lecturing nurses and doctors on accountability. He has said those who cannot perform should move out of the way. I fully agree. Let that same standard begin with the Procurement Unit that produced nothing for years while he blamed the Commission,” urged Dr. Dawes. 

He said the circumstances surrounding the Bellevue project raise serious questions about the Ministry’s internal oversight and require an independent examination of what was done over the last four years.