On Friday, we posted a story about the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) getting a paint job for the first time in 20 years. The public’s reaction to the story varied, with some being highly critical of the upgrade, accusing the institution of focusing on aesthetics and not the functionality; while others were quick to praise the move saying it was the first of many needed for the county’s lone public hospital.The hospital was opened by Queen Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, on a visit here in 1964 at which time he unveiled a mahogany plaque in the hospital’s public foyer. The plaque was made from timber taken from the building the QEH replaced – the old General Hospital on Jemmotts Lane, which was later home to the Ministries of Education and Health and various allied agencies before it was abandoned. It was gutted by fire in April 2018.The external spruce-up was done as the QEH passed its own milestone of 57 years as the national general hospital. The makeover was a joint project of the hospital’s engineering, administration and housekeeping staff with outside contractors and the National Conservation Commission.
