Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, says the government has invested J$3.5 billion in each of the three stages of the restoration project for the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH).

Tufton discussed additional expenditure for hospital relocation and building, while Falmouth, Noel Holmes, and Savanna-la-Mar Hospitals benefited from upgrading works to accept services rerouted from Cornwall Regional.

Tufton acknowledges Jamaicans’ impatience for project completion but emphasizes extensive work for modern facilities providing expanded healthcare services.

“What started as fixing a ventilation system morphed into the stripping down of a 10-storey building and replacement of every single window, door, ward, and operating theatre. So, what we are doing is building a brand-new hospital for the people of western Jamaica,” Tufton explained.

The minister said that the Government is projected to spend J$5.81 billion on CRH rehabilitation this year, with work commencing on the third and final phase. Turning to the construction of the Western Children and Adolescent Hospital (WCAH), Tufton told the House of Representatives that the project is at 54 per cent completion.

So far, the primary structure, for both the main building and staff apartments, is complete, while work continues on the secondary structure, such as the internal partition walls.

The approved overhead pedestrian bridge connects the Western Children and Adolescents Hospital to the Caribbean Regional Health Center, resulting in the highest concentration of hospital beds and specialities in the region.