The link connecting King Edward VII Memorial Hospital to the new Acute Care Wing has been completed, according to the Bermuda Hospitals Board.

BHB CEO Venetta Symonds said the step is a milestone, saying: “Although not in use yet, we now have a clear path on each floor between the new Acute Care Wing and the existing General Wing, connecting the old and the new.”

BCM McAlpine President Alan Burland said the five-storey building has two “through car” elevators, which have doors on both sides to accommodate differences in building levels.

The second floor of the new wing, which will contain the surgical unit, now connects to the Intensive Care Unit in the existing building. The flat link is intended to ensure a fast and safe journey for acutely ill patients between the two buildings as there are no slopes or ramps.

The public will meanwhile be able to use the link on the ground floor to move between the two wings once the Acute Care Wing opens its doors to patients in September.