Gov’t Considering Proposals To Reopen State Infirmaries

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says the Government is considering proposals to reopen State infirmaries across the country to accommodate new cases.

He made the disclosure while addressing the Local Government and Community Month 2021 National Church Service at Abundant Life Ministries in Green Park, Trelawny, on Sunday (November 21).

Minister McKenzie noted that more than 300 Jamaicans are waiting to be admitted into infirmaries, which stopped accepting new admissions due to the pandemic.

He informed that his Ministry has been working closely with the Ministry of Health and Wellness to complete and refine a specialised safety protocol for the facilities.

“We are then hoping that if the coronavirus (COVID-19) numbers remain steady and if conditions improve, then we will be able to open the doors of the facilities of our infirmaries right across the country to accept persons,” he said.

He noted that the Government continues to put measures in place to assist the less fortunate, and since 2016, has “done an enormous amount of work…to upgrade conditions across our infirmaries.”

“This is so that those who rely on the State can feel comfortable knowing that there is a government that cares for their needs,” he added.

Mr. McKenzie used the opportunity to laud staff at the infirmaries, noting that their efforts have not gone unnoticed and have made Jamaica one of the best countries in the world in terms of providing care.

He said it is the hard work and commitment of staff “why the country’s infirmaries did not suffer significant fallout amid the pandemic, and  I want to commend and to thank them.”

Local Government and Community Month 2021 is being celebrated under the theme: ‘Local Government at the Forefront of Building Back Stronger’.

The Minister said that infirmaries will be the focus this week with particular attention given to the facility in Trelawny.

Meanwhile, he noted that earlier this year, ground was broken for a night shelter in Falmouth, which is the first to be built outside of Kingston.

The facility, which will be constructed at a cost of $25 million, will have the capacity to house 20 persons.