Health worker volunteers will head to western Jamaica on Sunday (November 2) to participate in the cleanup of hospitals severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

Approximately 200 volunteers are expected to take part in the cleanup exercise at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital in Westmoreland; Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny; Noel Holmes Hospital in Hanover; and Cornwall Regional Hospital in St James.

At the Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth, which suffered extensive damage, a team will be engaged in installing a field hospital.

Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, who announced the “solidarity clean-up” last Saturday, said that “members of the health team from the ministry and from the parishes less affected, including those from the Southeast Regional Health Authority (SERHA) have been invited to volunteer their time and effort in support of the staff and patients at those facilities.”

He was addressing a press briefing at the ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre in New Kingston.

Tufton said that the objective of the day’s activities “is to express solidarity and support to our health workers and others in these five locations. We are working with health staff in the first instance but we know that there are others who want to volunteer.”

He noted that there will be about 30 to 40 volunteers per location.

“They will be helping to clean up the compounds of the hospitals, giving support to the local team…We will be leaving Kingston at about 6:00 am, supported by the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC),” he informed.

“We will all put on our gloves and help to pick up the pieces and just to give support in the field,” Dr Tufton said.