UHWI To Undertake $1.5 Billion In Capital Projects

The University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) will be undertaking  a number of capital projects over the short, medium and long-term, which will cost in excess of $1.5 billion.

Of the total, $276.24 million will be spent on emergency undertakings, such as procurement of small pieces of medical equipment.

“These include purchasing and replacing well-needed equipment for the emergency medicine division, wards, and other health service units. Financing for these projects will be obtained in house, as well as through public/private partnerships,” said Acting Chief Executive Officer at the hospital, Kevin Allen.

He was addressing a press briefing on Monday, December 21, at the UHWI Boardroom in Papine, St. Andrew.

Mr. Allen informed that some $1.428 billion will be spent on medium to long-term projects and financing for these will be obtained by seeking Government support, sponsorship from non-governmental organisations, the private sector, and contributions from the Diaspora.

“$125 million in funding has already been identified and set aside for the rehabilitation of nuclear medicine,  boiler, completion of the physiotherapy building, to obtain a digital plain X-ray machine, and to (build) an adolescent psychiatric ward,” Mr. Allen informed.

Meanwhile, Mr. Allen is also reporting that the hospital has implemented 80 per cent of the recommendations made by the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) in operational best practices.

He noted that the cost to execute the PAHO recommendations is approximately $154.1 million, which covers operational activities and capital items.

“This was communicated to the Ministry of Health, which has pledged support to the capital component of this budget to the tune of $40 million. We will seek help from corporate Jamaica with the remainder,” he said.

The PAHO recommendations are being implemented following the outbreak of bacterial infection at the hospital, which resulted in the deaths of premature babies, and revealed serious breaches of reporting and standard operational protocols.

Mr. Allen also informed that improvements are to be carried out to the Special Care Nursery/Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and will be done in three phases.

Focus will be placed on addressing the adverse operating conditions in the NICU; establishing improved policies, systems, processes and procedures, with entrenched checks and balances that comply with best practices; and equipping employees with the necessary skills and tools to provide quality patient care.

Mr. Allen assured the public that the administration and staff at the UHWI will continue to do everything in their power to ensure that the facility is able to provide a high standard of quality health care at all times.