$24 Billion for Health Service Delivery and $140 Million for Hospital Maintenance

The Government has earmarked $24 billion for the Health Service Delivery Programme, which is concerned with the provision of a comprehensive range of health services at primary, secondary and tertiary care levels.
As contained in the 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, the programme places emphasis on disease surveillance and control; health promotion; environmental, family and mental health; substance abuse; diagnostic and therapeutic services; and public healthcare.
Management of the health delivery has been decentralised to four Regional Health Authorities in order to provide more effective and efficient service at the local level.
The allocations to each Authority are as follows: South East Regional Health Authority, $9.3 billion; Western Regional Health Authority, $4.4 billion; Southern Regional Health Authority, $4 billion; North East Regional Health Authority, $3.1 billion; University Hospital of the West Indies, $3 billion; and St. Joseph’s Hospital, $120 million.
In the meantime, a sum of $140 million has been allocated to the Maintenance of Buildings and Equipment project in the Ministry of Health and Environment for the current fiscal year.
This provision is for the maintenance and repair of furniture and equipment as well as the physical plant of health facilities in the South East Regional Health Authority, which covers the parishes of Kingston, St. Andrew, St. Thomas and St. Catherine.
The targets for this year include, renovating the accident and emergency department, old maternity ward and fencing the compound of the Linstead Hospital; upgrading the maternity ward and pharmacy at the Spanish Town Hospital and the sewage system at Princess Margaret Hospital; and renovating 15 health centres throughout the region.
During 2008/09, the floor at the Edwina Wing, Kingston Public Hospital was repaired, so too the roof of the operating theatre at the Spanish Town Hospital; the laundry and canteen at the Linstead Hospital was renovated and the building painted, while lights were installed on the compound of the National Chest Hospital.