Princess Margaret Hospital or PMH is a public hospital in
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...
. PMH is the largest hospital in The Bahamas, providing primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare services and one of the two most prominent hospitals, the other being Doctors Hospital. It was opened in 1952 as the Bahamas General Hospital but was renamed the Princess Margaret Hospital in 1955 to coincide with a visit from
Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II.
...
, the sister of Queen
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
, future
Queen of the Bahamas.
History
Originally, called the Bahamas General Hospital, the cornerstone for the new hospital was laid by
Governor Robert Neville in March 1952.
The hospital became operational in May 1953, when the first patients were transferred from the old Prospect Hospital.
The first baby was born at PMH on 21 May 1953.
The hospital was renamed in 1955 to honour a visit by
Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II.
...
,
sister of
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
and at the time third in line to the throne. It was the first hospital to be named in her honour.
Princess Margaret visited the hospital on 28 February 1955 during the last stop of her tour of the British West Indies.
A ceremony unveiling the new name was held that day.
The hospital's Eye Wing was completed and opened between 1960 and 1961.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic in the Bahamas, Princess Margaret Hospital was placed under pressure due to a lack of bed and morgue space. As a result, they had to use tents outside for intensive care patients as well as hiring a refrigerated container for unclaimed dead bodies that could not fit in the morgue.
The Public Hospital Authority appealed to Bahamans not to come to the hospital and to use local community clinics in the meantime.
Operations
The hospital has approximately 405 beds, spread across adult, pediatric, and neonatal units.
It also functions as a teaching hospital, supporting the training of healthcare professionals in the country.
References
{{Reflist
Hospital buildings completed in 1953
Buildings and structures in the Bahamas
Hospitals established in 1952