Government aims for resilient hospitals

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton says the Government is moving to ensure that all future public health facilities are engineered to withstand natural disasters.

Speaking to the staff, management and other stakeholders at the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) Grand Awards Gala at Lover’s Leap in St Elizabeth last week, Tufton said that public health infrastructure must serve as “unyielding sanctuaries” during national crises.

“Hospitals are supposed to withstand disasters,” he said. “When a crisis hits, our citizens look to these facilities for safety, relief, and healing. They cannot be vulnerable to the elements or compromised when they are needed most.”

Cabinet has approved a modernisation and public healthcare renewal plan to refurbish, upgrade, and replace critical health infrastructure islandwide. As part of this structural overhaul, the ministry has initiated a partnership with the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) to oversee the design and development of four new, climate-resilient hospitals.

Under this multi-agency framework, the ministry will take the lead on clinical and technical programming requirements, while NaRRA manages comprehensive building project delivery and site operations. The new state-of-the-art facilities will be strategically distributed across Jamaica’s health regions to ensure equity of access. Plans include two new hospitals for the Western Regional Health Authority, one for the South East Regional Health Authority and one for SRHA. Among the projects is the phased redevelopment of the Kingston Public Hospital, which will feature newly constructed medical and surgical towers.

Providing an update on post-hurricane recovery efforts, Tufton informed that newly reconstructed surgical wards at Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth will be fully operational by the end of this month. The hospital’s primary administrative building is scheduled for completion by November 2026. Tufton added that the new Accident and Emergency Department at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay, St James, is also scheduled to open its doors by the end of the month.

The Awards Gala recognised hundreds of healthcare workers across the parishes of Clarendon, Manchester and St Elizabeth, who remained on the front line, demonstrating exceptional resilience and dedication during the catastrophic passage of Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. Tufton noted that the “unyielding bravery and tireless service of these medical professional heroes” is a profound source of national pride.