Govt Committed to Renovating Infirmaries – Minister McKenzie

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says the Ministry is committed to completing the renovation and upgrading of all state run infirmaries by the ending of the 2019 financial year.

Minister McKenzie, who was addressing the Board of Supervision’s Awards and Recognition Ceremony at the Jewel Runaway Bay Beach and Golf Resort in St. Ann recently, said the matter of making provisions for the poor and vulnerable is the responsibility of the Government.

“There is a commitment from this administration to ensure that all our infirmaries are renovated where conditions are suitable for all the occupants,” he said.

“I made a visit to the St. Catherine Infirmary the other day and in complimenting the Mayor on the clean state of the facility I was taken aback by his response which has stayed with me since. He simply noted that none of us know what tomorrow brings and whether one day we might end up in one of these facilities,” he related.

The Minister informed that work will also be carried out to improve facilities for infirmary staff and caregivers.

He said it is very important that the caregivers have a comfortable and respectable environment in which to operate, noting that this would better enable them to perform at an optimum level.

“It is important that we recognise within the municipalities those officers who work in the outdoor offices,” Mr. McKenzie said.

He noted that while there are resource constraints, the matter will have to be addressed expeditiously “as we cannot afford to undermine the very essence of what we are trying to do.”