The commissioning of the Children’s Hospital almost turned into tragedy yesterday as almost 200 people, including 45 children, had to make a dash for safety as the canopy covering the ceremonial stage came crashing down.
Before the arrival of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissesar around 2.10 pm sudden heavy rainfall and gusty winds caused guests to leave their seats and move towards the front of the platform that was constructed for the ceremony.
Master of ceremonies, Paul Richards, began advising guests to try to run across to the hospital building as they were getting wet. Richards gave instructions for the children on the platform to be removed via a shuttle.
However, the steady downpour kept most people on the platform, until pieces of scaffolding were heard crashing down.
All hell broke loose, as Richards screamed into the sound system, “Get off the stage! Get off the stage!”
Government ministers, invited guests and media personnel all dashed off the platform’s two exits in the downpour. Several people fell as they ran off, but luckily no one was hurt.
Speaking immediately following the incident, the Housing Development Corporation’s corporate communications manager Maurisa Findlay told the T&T Guardian that the incident was caused because scaffolding and cloth were used to cover the stage, instead of a tent.
“Normally we would have a 20x20 tent covering the stage but this time they opted to use scaffolding and cloth. It could not withstand the wind and rain,” she said.
“No one was hurt and more than likely the commissioning will be postponed.”
However, when Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was brought to the hospital’s lobby around 3.30 pm, the ceremony went on as planned inside the building. Although most guests were still damp and shaken over the incident, they cheered lustily for Persad-Bissessar when she said, “Nothing could take away from this event today. If you look outside the sun is out.
“There is a saying that man proposes and God disposes and we saw that happening here today with the heavy rains. Everybody understands that in life there will be challenges,” she said.
“Years from now, when I am gone to the great beyond, the hospital will be here serving the children and adults of T&T. It will endure for generations to come.”
Persad-Bissessar said the hospital has a burns unit to accommodate patients from the nearby Point Lisas industrial estate as well as encourage medical tourism.
“This hospital will be a beacon in Caricom for medical tourism, so nationals from other parts of the Caribbean can come and receive medical treatment, at a cost of course.”
After the ribbon cutting, Persad-Bissessar took the media on a brief tour of the hospital and its facilities before leaving.
The hospital is situated on a 60-acre site on lands from the former Caroni (1975) Ltd. The estimated cost of construction was US$150 million (TT$975m) and was funded through a government-to-government arrangement with China and constructed by Chinese contractors.