The Minister of Health, Valasi Tafito Selesele revealed that his Ministry will be busy this year with major renovation plans for the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital and the district hospitals outside of Apia.

In an interview with the Samoa Observer, the Minister was asked whether the government had any plans to renovate hospitals given the numerous maintenance problems.

According to Valasi, the Ministry is planning how to work their way around planning each programme for district hospitals and renovation plans for the main hospital within this month before they start work.

"There are many improved developments in the hospital and other programmes for district hospitals. There are renovations plans for the hospital and for this month, we're just planning it all out," he explained.

The Minister could not confirm how much this will cost and where the funding will come from.

Last year, the Emergency Department at the TTM hospital returned to operation towards the end of the year with a much neater and cleaner look after weeks of renovations costing over $200,000.

The new Emergency Department has been completely renovated providing much fresher air for both patients and staff, damaged ceilings and sinks have been repaired while walls and rooms have been refurbished.

Since September this year, the Ministry has been in the process of renovating the Emergency Department - an extensive process that has involved stripping the moldy ceilings, repainting the walls, replacing fixtures, and installing new split air-conditioning units.

Local contractors with the Ministry of Health's (M.O.H.) maintenance sector undertook corrective measures as an intervention to long-standing infrastructural issues experienced within the Emergency Department.

The Emergency Department was moved next door within the same building, while the outpatient has returned to the old outpatient in the old hospital building.

Meanwhile, Atoa Dr. Glenn Fatupaito who was the Acting Director General of Health at the time said renovation plans for the outpatient were also in discussions.

Asked about expanding the renovation works to the other wards experiencing similar concerns such as the maternity ward, Dr. Fatupaito said, "Ideally we want to but it's a matter of where to move the patients to because it's always a full house every day here at the hospital. Unlike other government ministries which close at 5pm, ours is 24 hours which means the aircon is always running."