 The St. Jude Hospital Reconstruction Project is advancing with major works beginning on the second phase of the project. Daniel Dubois reports. Government officials were on site to witness the installation of the first set of cladding panels at the St. Jude Hospital on Friday 5 February 2021 as a rehabilitation project steadily enters phase 2. Phase 2, which is the architectural phase, encompasses cladding, mechanical work including doors and windows, elevators, electrical, plumbing and finishing. Site preparation started in March 2019 and in October of the same year, construction of the structural phase commenced. With the completion of the structural phase and the commencement of the architectural phase, Prime Minister Hon. Alan Shastney expressed his excitement, noting that the government continues to ensure that a world-class hospital is finally delivered to the people of the south. I'm here this morning witnessing a milestone for St. Jude's. This is a new hospital. This is a hospital that's going to take the south for the next 50-60 years and that's the ambition that we have for the south. And today we're witnessing putting up with the panels, which is a new technology to adapt to climate change, to allow for less mold resistant and more efficiency with our air conditioning system. So I'm so proud for the people in the south to have this world-class hospital here that will be delivered very soon. Let's keep working. Assistant project manager Cardi O'Connorbert gave a quick overview of the project, stating that many aspects of the hospital are being worked on simultaneously. We're currently working on phase 2 of the St. Jude's rehabilitation project. This phase is broken up into five sub-phases, namely structural, civil, building envelope, renovations and finishings. All five of these phases will be worked on simultaneously. As you might have seen on Friday, we commenced the erection of the cladding of the building envelope. According to site engineers, this newer type of construction has several benefits which include energy efficiency, climate change resilience, as well as mold resistance due to the unique composition of the cladding. The project is moving now at a very rapid pace and we would expect that the enclosure of the building would happen in a short space of time and we would start preparing the final bits and pieces within the building while things do not look like it's advanced. I want to assure St. Louisians that the method of construction that is being used is a new technology and everything is going in at the same time. So what we see happening there at the finishing work for St. Jude, what we have left to do now would be our gas lines, our electricals. We don't even have to pay them because the panel is already pre-painted and they will never need to be painted again, you just have to be washing them down. The completed site will include the new wing which will house the patient wards, labs and the full range of medical services including imaging as well as administration. Separate structures will house the physiotherapy unit and a dialysis unit, reporting for the office of the prime minister. I am Danielle Dubois.