Health Minister Outlines Benefits of Proposed Private Wing at Cornwall Regional Hospital

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, has highlighted the potential benefits of adding a private wing, akin to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) Tony Thwaites Wing in Kingston, to the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in St. James.

The Tony Thwaites wing is a state-of-the-art 54-bed non-profit healthcare facility.

Dr. Tufton, who was addressing a special meeting of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Montego Bay chapter, at Sandals Montego Bay in St. James on November 28, said the proposed wing would present an opportunity to pool specialist skills at the hospital, and noted that space is available for the addition of the facility.

“I think there is a role in the context of this area, with the planes flying over and landing, for a private facility. I think we have the space, and we are negotiating. We just leased six acres adjoining the facility, and it is being prepared for the contractor to set up shop with his equipment and storage,” Dr. Tufton informed.

The Minister appealed to the business community and investors in the Second City to “knock heads on this and find a way to integrate at this time, because I think the time has come for the idea to germinate into some sort of private wing equivalent to the Tony Thwaites Wing at the UHWI. All the ducks are lined up for that, and I think it will benefit those who choose and could access such a service, especially with the high concentration of visitors that we have”.

Dr. Tufton outlined that the Type A facility (Cornwall Regional Hospital), which is being rehabilitated at a cost of more than $14 billion, will along with the Western Children and Adolescent Hospital, which is under construction at the hospital site, boast a combined 700 beds.

“There is a major opportunity based on the concentration of experts that will be based at CRH, so the same surgeons, doctors and specialists who are supporting the team in the 700-bed facility can provide private services in the private area, which is what happens in Kingston,” said Dr. Tufton.

During the meeting, the Minister gave members of the JHTA, Montego Bay Chapter, an update on the rehabilitation of the facility, which is in its third and final phase and slated for completion in April of 2026.

The JHTA members also posed questions to the Minister and Project Manager of the CRH rehabilitation, Vivian Gordon.