Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, has expressed satisfaction with the progress of work under the multibillion-dollar project to redevelop the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine.

Speaking during a visit to the project site on Wednesday, April 30, Dr Tufton said the work is moving smoothly and “we’re on the right track”.

“We put a lot of planning in it, led by the team and, of course, the contractors have complied; so, from that vantage point we are satisfied,” he told journalists. “We are comfortable with what is happening. The pace started off a little slow because we had some design issues that needed to be reconciled between the contractors and the design team. Once that was cleared up, the contractors have gone full-fledged and the local team here have been monitoring, providing the supervisory work, and reporting back to me.”

The $5.5-billion project will see the transformation of the 430-bed hospital into a state-of-the-art, six-storey facility spanning more than 17,000 square metres. The facility will offer expanded services such as urology, oncology, cardiology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, and psychiatry. It will be equipped with cutting-edge technology, including electronic access to patient medical records, multiple operating theatres, and increased bed space, moving from 470 to 600.

The new building will also include an accident and emergency wing on the ground floor, along with an ambulance bay, triage and consultation rooms, and lounge areas for medical staff.  

“In terms of diagnostics, all the critical [services] will be available here at Spanish Town, including computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other critical diagnostic equipment, which will make the [hospital] a much more comprehensive facility to treat with patients in a fulsome way,” Dr Tufton said.

Redevelopment of the Spanish Town Hospital falls under the Health System Strengthening Programme (HSSP), which is being funded through a US$50-million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and a grant of €10.2 million from the European Union (EU).

The Government of Jamaica has committed US$87 million.

The objective is to provide a reliable and modern infrastructure for health service delivery, a goal articulated in the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Vision For Health 2030 Ten-Year Strategic Plan.

Dr Tufton noted that the investment in the redevelopment of the Spanish Town Hospital is in response “to the population expansion of our parish and the pass-through, because of the highway that is there and the emergencies that we have to see daily. So good things are happening here at Spanish Town Hospital. We ask for patience”.