Work on the new Dialysis Unit at the hospital’s under-construction Acute Care Wing has been completed, according to the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB).

The unit has not yet been equipped with the necessary equipment and furniture but the BHB said the facility would be ready to go when the new Wing opens its doors in September.

The new unit will be 11,846 square foot — significantly larger that the existing Beresford Swan Dialysis Unit where treatments are currently given.

BHB president and CEO Venetta Symonds said that the increase in size was necessary given the rapidly rising number of dialysis patients on the Island.

“In 1984, in need of more space to treat the increased numbers of patients back then, the unit moved from King Edward VII Memorial Hospital to its current location with 27 patients,” Ms Symonds said.

“Last June there were 142 dialysis patients’ on-island and now, less than a year later, that number has grown to 163.”

The new unit boasts 22 treatment bays, meaning 15 more people will be able to use the service per day. It also houses two single rooms to provide privacy or isolation when required.

According to a BHB spokeswoman, Dialysis will be on the first floor of the new wing and will be accessible only by elevator. An examination/consult room will be on the unit. This means that patients who also have to meet the nephrologist will be able to do so in the same area.

“Convenient and practical, designing the unit in this way facilitates better patient service,” the spokeswoman explained. “Also on the floor is a room where minor procedures can performed. Two nursing stations will be used to facilitate the increase in patient treatment stations.”