Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton, is reiterating his call for Jamaicans to utilise health centres when seeking care within the public health system.

“Primary healthcare is the bedrock of community health. It’s not only about prevention but also offering curative services at the community level,” the minister said.

Tufton further mused that persons seeking services at health centres will ease the burden on the Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments at hospitals, which sometimes must deal with persons who could have been attended to within the primary healthcare system.

“Almost 30 per cent of persons visiting A&E, having gone through the triage process, do not require emergency care, and invariably they have to wait, as they are pushed back for the priority cases,” the minister told JIS News in an interview.

He noted that these patients could be treated at the health centres and that extended hours will give them that option and reduce crowding and frustration in hospitals.

The minister’s call comes amid significant progress under the Government’s 10-Year Strategic Plan for Public Health, which was launched in 2018.

“This plan addresses the comprehensive buildout of both health centres and hospitals. Over the last five years, we have upgraded, enhanced, or constructed 138 health centres at a cost of approximately J$4 billion,” Dr. Tufton pointed out.

“Currently, we are actively constructing and upgrading key centres, including Old Harbour, St. Jago, and Portmore,” he said, adding that contracts were recently signed for the Ocho Rios and Brown’s Town health centres, each valued at J$700 million.

The minister further stated that ground was recently broken for the new outpatient clinic at the May Pen Hospital under the Health Systems Strengthening Programme (HSSP).

In addition to the HSSP, the ministry has rolled out other initiatives such as ‘Operation Refresh’, aimed at expanding and modernising primary-care facilities. These projects are being funded through the National Health Fund (NHF) and international partners.

“We have been on a journey to renew primary healthcare, starting with infrastructure. For years, this sector suffered from underinvestment, but we’re now reclassifying health centres, adding more staff, including doctors and nurses, and expanding services,” Tufton said.

The minister argued that the results speak for themselves. Last year, there were nearly 300,000 more visits to health centres and 250,000 fewer visits to hospitals compared to the previous year, a shift the minister hailed as a major policy success.

In support of the reform, Dr. Tufton indicated that approximately 20 health centres across the island have extended opening hours, with some operating until 8:00 p.m. and others until 10:00 p.m.

The minister noted that the health ministry intends to standardise these extended hours nationwide.