New hospitals to deliver 1,370 beds

Government’s major hospital reconstruction and modernisation programme will deliver approximately 1,370 beds across four new climate-resilient public facilities.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton made the disclosure while delivering a statement in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. The new facilities comprise a 250-bed Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth, a 250-bed Falmouth Public General Hospital in Trelawny, a 150-bed Noel Holmes Hospital in Hanover, and a 720-bed Kingston Public Hospital campus at Orange Street, Kingston.

Cabinet has approved a partnership between the ministry and the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority to undertake the programme, along with engagement of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to finance the relocation and reconstruction of the hospitals. Tufton said the programme will be guided by the ministry’s secondary-care reform model and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Smart Health Facility standards.

The hospitals will be designed to remain functional during and after disasters, with protected water storage, standby generators, fuel reserves, medical gases, solar energy with battery storage, rainwater harvesting and efficient cooling systems. Each facility is expected to achieve Category A under the PAHO/World Health Organization Hospital Safety Index.

The three rural hospitals will increase their combined capacity from approximately 260 to 650 beds, more than doubling the existing provision. The relocation of Black River Hospital is intended to protect healthcare services serving more than 180,000 people in St Elizabeth and sections of neighbouring parishes. The existing facility sustained extensive damage during Hurricane Melissa, including to its roof, laboratory and operating theatres. The new hospital will provide additional specialist services, including orthopaedics, cardiology, psychiatry, neonatology and high-dependency care, reducing the need for patients to travel outside the parish for treatment.

In Trelawny, the new Falmouth Hospital will be constructed on an inland site of at least 4.5 hectares after an independent assessment found that the existing harbour-front location could not be made safe at a reasonable cost. The new 150-bed Noel Holmes Hospital will be built on a site of at least 2.5 hectares, providing more than double the existing capacity of approximately 60 beds. Meanwhile, the Orange Street development will form the first phase of a planned three-campus hospital network, with 82 critical-care beds, 14 operating theatres and a 64-space emergency department and trauma centre.

Tufton informed that the technical specifications for the three regional hospitals are being prepared to guide costing and negotiations with the IDB. He said that the Government will continue updating Parliament as the projects advance.