Gov’t Using the Benefits of Good Economy for Citizens – PM
By: , January 17, 2024
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, addresses the groundbreaking ceremony for the $5.5 billion Spanish Town Hospital redevelopment project in St. Catherine on Tuesday (Jan. 16).The Full Story
The multi-billion-dollar investment in the redevelopment of the Spanish Town Hospital is an example of Government using the benefits of a good economy to deliver for citizens, says Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.
He was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the $5.5 billion project in St. Catherine on Tuesday (Jan. 16).
Prime Minister Holness said that while the works are being undertaken through loan support and grant funds, the “greater part of this investment is from the productivity of Jamaicans.”
“This Government has managed your fiscal affairs, your revenue, the taxes that you pay in such a way that…we can say that we will allocate US$87 million from our budget [towards the project],” he noted.
Redevelopment of the Spanish Town Hospital falls under the Health System Strengthening Programme (HSSP), which is being funded through a US$50 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and a grant of Euros 10.2 million from the European Union (EU).
The Government of Jamaica has committed US$87 million.
The project will see the transformation of the 430-bed hospital into a state-of-the-art, six-storey facility spanning more than 17, 000 square metres.
Patient care delivery at the facility will expand to new services including urology, oncology, cardiology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, and psychiatry.
It will be equipped with cutting-edge technology including electronic access to patient medical records.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister warned criminals looking to use the project as an opportunity for extortion that “this will not happen.”
He said that the work site will be well protected, noting that “this will be a military camp if it has to be”.
“There will be no extortion here, no criminal activity here,” he declared.
“Those who have that in their mind stay far from here…don’t but your eye on this one,” the Prime Minister warned.
The Spanish Town Hospital redevelopment project is in keeping with the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Vision For Health 2030 Ten-Year Strategic Plan, which aims to provide a reliable and modern infrastructure for health service delivery.