$700 Million Set Aside to Complete Construction, Equipping of Western Children’s Hospital

The Government has set aside more than $700 million for the completion of construction and acquisition of equipment for the Western Children and Adolescent Hospital in Montego Bay, St. James.

Details are outlined in the 2026/2027 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.

The project is aimed at building a 220-bed facility on the compound of the Cornwall Regional Hospital to provide medical services for children and adolescents up to 18 years across western Jamaica.

The hospital will be the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean, offering specialised modern and comprehensive care for children and young people.

Construction activities up to the end of December 2025 included superstructure and roofing, with partitions, finishes, doors, and lifts all above 80 per cent. Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, medical gases, standby power, fire safety, and water systems are largely installed and tested, with 80 per cent completion.

Emergency, perioperative, critical care, imaging, and pharmacy areas are 85 per cent ready, with priority medical equipment and furniture delivered and partially installed.

Data/voice backbone and hospital apps are pilot-ready; security systems are 80 per cent installed; and site infrastructure, roads, parking, fencing, waste management and landscaping are substantially complete.

Work under the project commenced in 2017 and is being undertaken through funding from the People’s Republic of China.