Gov’t Investments in Healthcare Ongoing – Prime Minister Holness

The Government will continue to make significant investments in advancing the country’s healthcare infrastructure and meeting the evolving needs of Jamaicans.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, restated his Administration’s commitment during Tuesday’s (February 20) $278-million contract signing and ground-breaking ceremony for phase one of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) redevelopment project in Mona, St. Andrew.

He reiterated that US$148 million is being invested through the Health System Strengthening Programme, which will lead to the redevelopment of the St. Ann’s Bay, May Pen and Spanish Town Hospitals, among other engagements. He noted that ground was recently broken for the Spanish Town Hospital project.

“It will also include 10 health facilities – Greater Portmore, Old Harbour, St. Jago, St. Ann’s Bay, Brown’s Town, Ocho Rios, May Pen East, May Pen West, Mocho and Chapelton. Some of these will be Type Five facilities, meaning that they are just one level below full hospital capability,” the Prime Minister added.

He said work is also being done to improve the information systems and technology that are critical elements of a modern healthcare service.
“We will introduce advanced information health systems, remote patient monitoring, e-prescription and electronic health records,” Mr. Holness stated.

He added that the investment in the electronic system is imperative in improving the quality and speed of healthcare delivery.

“It cannot be undervalued or underestimated. You won’t see it like how you will see this lovely building going up. But you will experience it in your waiting time [and] in the right diagnosis being made,” the Prime Minister said.

Mr. Holness also highlighted several major upgrades that were undertaken at health facilities in 2023.

These include the $26-million refurbishing works at the Moneague Health Centre in St. Ann that now benefit 32,000 patients, upgrading works at the Mandeville Comprehensive Health Centre in Manchester to offer improved services and the facility’s retrofitting with additional safety features to make it more resilient to natural disasters.

Additionally, the Cambridge Health Centre in St. James was renovated by the National Health Fund (NHF) at a cost of more than $60 million and now benefits some 4,000 residents in that community and its environs.

A new $29-million energy-efficient broiler system was also installed at the Savanna-la-Mar Public Hospital in Westmoreland.

The Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth was equipped with a $37-million digital retrofit system, while a mammogram machine was installed at the UHWI at a cost of $47 million and the renal unit of the Kingston Public Hospital received 10 new haemodialysis machines valued over $30 million.

In addition, the UHWI received 18 patient monitors valued $25 million, while the Bustamante Hospital for Children got a new C-arm and laparoscopy machines at a cost of $46 million; and two ambulances and a panel van were acquired at a cost of more than $33 million to serve the parishes of St. Ann, St. Mary and Portland.

The Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) received four retrofitted ambulances, a passenger bus and a panel van costing $62 million; and the Linstead public hospital in St. Catherine and the Princess Margaret Hospital in St. Thomas got two new ambulances valued $33 million.

Mr. Holness also stated that new medical conditions have been incorporated into the National Health Fund Card Programme, representing more than $450 million in additional subsidised benefits for approximately 47,000 Jamaicans.

He further said the NHF instituted the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test benefit to encourage more men to get tested; it provides a $1,600 subsidy for one PSA test per year.

The Prime Minister noted, as well, that 61 contracts, valued $27 billion, were signed for the procurement of essential drugs under the 2023-2026 Pharmaceutical Awards Programme.

Meanwhile, Mr. Holness said Tuesday’s UHWI contract-signing and ground-breaking ceremony marks the beginning of a transformative chapter in the institution’s history.

He noted that the current hospital infrastructure, with its aging buildings and inefficient layout, poses numerous challenges, ranging from maintenance issues to overcrowded departments.

“The need for comprehensive redevelopment is evident. The proposed redevelopment aims to address these challenges by modernising facilities, enhancing departmental synergy and expanding critical-care services. The incorporation of modern technologies and the provision of state-of-the-art facilities will further elevate the hospital’s status and capabilities ,[thereby] ensuring that the UHWI remains a centre of excellence in the region,” he said.

Prime Minister Holness said his Administration acknowledges that “there is much more to be done”.

“We recognise that and we recognise, as well, that patients are suffering in our healthcare system. We are not oblivious to that; we know this,” he added.

However, Mr. Holness maintained: “We have done more to alleviate and ameliorate the conditions of healthcare in Jamaica than any other administration before.

“We acknowledge that… before my time [as Prime Minister]… we [hadn’t] built a new hospital. We acknowledge that 70 per cent of our current hospital infrastructure and equipment are deemed to be end of life or nearing end of life.

“I say all of this to say that… yes, the glass is not filled, but it is not half empty. We’re filling up that glass. Day by day, budget by budget, we are making real impacts on the healthcare system,” he said.

Mr. Holness pointed out that the Government is making sizeable and tangible investments to reverse the long period of underinvestment and neglect.

“In fact, I can, without fear of contradiction, say that my Administration has embarked on the most significant programme of expansion and improvement in our national healthcare infrastructure since Independence,” he declared.