A local doctor is building a medical facility he hopes will relieve a life-threatening bed shortage at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

The new building at 32 Point Finger Road, Paget is being outfitted with medical-grade equipment, a nursing station and 15 beds.

It is a project of Hope Healthcare on Woodbourne Avenue in Hamilton.

Brent Williams, Hope Healthcare’s founder and director, said: “This problem has been growing for a number of years. Even before the hospital renovations, we had more beds then than we do now. Our bed capacity has shrunk.”

Added to that, he said, people are living longer.

Back in April, Ed Schultz, former head of emergency at the hospital, said the lack of beds at the hospital was a life-or-death issue.

Dr Williams agreed with Dr Schultz, but said now it was time to take action.

The new facility will support Hope Healthcare services in sleep disorders, advanced cardiology, bariatric care, hepatology and vascular issues, but will also provide beds for local physicians and surgeons and act as a spillover option for the hospital.

“If someone has pneumonia, for example, they can be there,” Dr Williams said. “If someone needs intravenous antibiotics and nursing care, we can provide that. You can’t beat our location directly across from the hospital.”

Renovations to the old building have progressed to the point where plumbing and infrastructure is being added.

Plans for the medical facilitated were formulated six years ago, but were interrupted by the global pandemic.

“We then had Covid-19 related disruptions,” Dr Williams said. “We hope to be fully operational by December.”

Dr Williams has been practising in Bermuda for 22 years, and has served on the Health Centre and has also acted as medical adviser to the United States Consulate in Bermuda.

He declined to say how much the renovations were costing.

“These will be hospital-grade beds,” he said. “There is an expense to that so we are looking for any other corporate partnerships to help us out.”