Ground Broken For Ocho Rios Health Centre

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton on Friday (June 27) broke ground for the construction of the new $818.5 million Ocho Rios Health Centre in St. Ann.

The contract for the construction of state-of-the-art facility, under the Health Systems Strengthening Programme (HSSP), was also signed by Minister Tufton and Cenitech Engineering Solutions Limited.

It is expected that work will commence in short order and construction is projected to last 16 months.

The new facility will span approximately 2,285 square metres and will significantly expand health services in the area.

When completed, the health centre will offer improved services such as ultrasound, dentistry, laboratory services, mental health care, curative care and improved maternal and child health.

It will also provide a more comfortable and efficient environment for both patients and medical staff.

In his remarks, Dr. Tufton said the parish is experiencing unprecedented levels of development, not only in health, but also in housing, roads, water, education, and sanitation.

“An $800 plus million health centre means a proper [facility]. It is new and different, it is high tech with all of the features, and it means, therefore, better service for the people on the ground. In addition to that, it means more doctors, more nurses, and more services. Now that is a very positive thing,” he stated.

The Minister further informed that over the past five years, the government has allocated $3 billion, for the development of health infrastructure in the parish.

He said this includes several projects that have already been completed or are currently underway.

“I think it’s important for the public to get a perspective on all the [health centres] that we have spent resources on. So, we have spent resources on Claremont where have spent $17 million to do a lot of different upgrades, Steer Town with more than $10 million spent, Moneague with $22 million, St. Ann’s Bay Health Centre with $124 million, Brown’s Town with $84 million and the St. Ann’s Bay Health Department, which we opened recently, with $400 million,” Dr. Tufton said.

Other major projects included the Regional Health Maintenance Unit, which received $97 million, St. Ann’s Bay Hospital, which received over $150 million in improvements, Alexandria Hospital with $380 million in upgrades, and the Bamboo health centre with $60 million in development.

In the meantime, Board Chairman of the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA), Laura Heron, pointed out that these projects are integral components of the HSSP’s mission to modernize and expand healthcare services.

She noted that the programme has been critical in enhancing service delivery, training and access to medical care in the region.

“As we embark on this new phase, we reaffirm our shared goal to building a resilient health system that can withstand challenges, adapting to emerging needs and delivering high quality care to every Jamaican,” Mrs. Heron said.

For his part, Mayor of St. Ann’s Bay, Councillor Michael Belnavis, welcomed the investment, which he linked directly to the parish’s rapid growth.

He said St. Ann is currently producing more development than any other parish in Jamaica, even surpassing growth rates seen elsewhere in the Caribbean.

As such, Mr. Belnavis said this rapid development has created an urgent need for robust infrastructure to support the influx of new residents and visitors to the parish.

“Thank you [the Ministry] so much for taking St. Ann under your wings and providing us with necessary support. The people of St. Ann are grateful because you have done so much,” the Mayor indicated.

In addition to the Ocho Rios project, ground was also broken for the new $789 million Brown’s Town Health Centre.