Golden Spring Health Centre to be Upgraded

A contract has been signed for a $39 million, for the reconstruction and upgrading of the Golden Spring Health Centre, in St. Andrew. The facility serves some 4,000 persons monthly.

The facility, which is a Type 1 health centre, will be upgraded to a Type 2, with funding from the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), and community input. Services to be provided include: child health and immunization, ante and post natal, family planning services, health promotion and illness prevention, surveillance and disease control.

Speaking at the signing ceremony on December 19, at the Golden Spring Community Centre, Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, lauded the community effort to lobby stakeholders for the upgrading of the health centre, while repeating his call for persons to have confidence in health centres.

He said that the priority given to health centres is for persons to seek primary care in their communities, while allowing the hospitals to deal with major health issues. It is also cheaper to receive health care at clinics, than at the hospitals.

“This clinic will respond to the needs of the people, and will continue to strengthen health care at the primary level. It speaks to curative and preventive care,” the Minister pointed out.

Meanwhile, General Manager for Human Resource and Administration at JSIF, Rhonda Lumsden-Lue, informed that the project will last for six months. “The facility will improve the South East Regional Health Authority’s (SEHRA) capacity to provide optimum care to Golden Spring, and surrounding communities,” she said.

For his part, Member of Parliament for West Rural St. Andrew, Mr. Paul Buchanan, said he is in constant dialogue for infrastructure development and upgrading of educational and health facilities in the area.

Mr. Buchanan pointed out that he will make sure there is no disruption to the work on the health centre. “It must come in on time, and within budget,” he emphasized.