Governor General details new projects to be rolled in Throne Speech

The portfolios of National Security and Health will be getting priority attention in the upcoming 2022-2023 financial year, as articulated by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen as he presented the Throne Speech during today’s February 10 ceremonial opening of Parliament.

Sir Patrick announced that the police force will be beefed up in strength and provided with additional resources to fight crime while the health system will be ramped up and upgrades to several health facilities as well as a stepped up vaccination progamme.

In his Throne Speech, which marked the start of the new 2022-2025 parliamentary year, the governor general remarked that the Andrew Holness administration “is significantly expanding capacity of the Jamaica Constabulary Force by increasing the intake, training and deployment of personnel from the current average of approximately 500 to 1,500 annually”.

INCREASED RELIANCE ON FORENSIC SCIENCE

He added that existing infrastructure is also being upgraded with more than 100 police facilities renovated and eight new facilities constructed since the commencement of the Rebuild, Overhaul and Construct Project.

In the speech titled, ‘Building Our Jamaica: Peace, Opportunity and Prosperity’, Sir Patrick outlined how the Government is modernising the law enforcement and criminal justice systems by increasing reliance on forensic science to investigate crimes and secure convictions. He pointed out that ground was broken in November 2021 for the construction of the country’s first forensic pathology autopsy suite.

Sir Patrick articulated that this is the final component of the upgrading of the Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine to a world-class forensic pathology unit, while pointing out that the new electronic Traffic Ticket Management System will enhance public order and safety. This will be done by ensuring that tickets and related information will be accurate and readily available to support the efficient enforcement of fines and penalties.

He declared that “the strategic investments that have been made in the security infrastructure of the country have had a significant impact on major crimes. Overall, incidence of major crimes declined by 51 per cent from 10,711 in 2011 to 5,222 in 2021. However, our homicide rate remains unacceptably high and gunmen and gangs continue to threaten our peace and safety”.

Turning to health, the governor general announced that, in Jamaica’s 60th year of Independence, the administration will commence the largest healthcare infrastructure development undertaken since Independence.

According to him, “the plan, which is being jointly funded by the European Union and Inter-American Development Bank, will see upgrades to 13 health facilities comprising three hospitals and 10 health centres”.

The three hospitals are Spanish Town, St Ann’s Bay and May Pen hospitals while the health centres to be upgraded are Greater Portmore, St Jago Park, Old Harbour, St Ann’s Bay, Ocho Rios, Brown’s Town, May Pen East, May Pen West, Mocho, and the Chapelton Community Hospital.

In addition, upgrading of the building and equipment at the University Hospital of the West Indies is in the design phase, and build out work continues at Cornwall Regional Hospital and the Western Children and Adolescent Hospital.

The governor general reiterated that the Government has continued its efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that several field hospitals were established which increased the bed complement and capacity of the health system to provide care for COVID-19 cases.

He said the Government has continued its multi-pronged strategy to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by improving management and access to services and reducing behavioural risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity.