This Week's Medical Marvel

Looks like the opening of Medical Univeristy of South Carolina (MUSC)'s new building, Ashley River Tower, will be delayed again.

Staff have been hoping to move in for weeks, ready to unsqueeze themselves from MUSC's main building on Ashley Avenue, where space is tighter than a weasel's butt. A move-in date of early February looks unlikely, though, if the latest rumors are true - the main driveway for ambulances is too narrow for the vehicles and will have to be rejigged.

As it stands, the Tower is a concoction of three different lumps - the most prominent is a shiny glass sail-shaped structure. At a size of approximately 641,000 square feet it could hardly be tucked away, but it really looks out of place in the historically inclined Holy City.

But no matter how imposing the new sections of the hospital may be, they ain't going to do people much good if they're not staffed or up to code. Pull your finger out, MUSC!