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Isolation Ward at Children’s Hospital Being Renovated

By: , May 23, 2018

The Key Point:

Improvement work at the Glen Owen Isolation Ward at the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston continues today (May 23), in an effort to better treat patients with infectious diseases.
Isolation Ward at Children’s Hospital Being Renovated
Photo: Donald De la Haye
Mayor of Kingston, Senator Councillor Delroy Williams (second left), paints the Glen Owen Isolation Ward at the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston, today (May 23), as part of Labour Day activities undertaken by the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation. Also taking part (from left) are Miss Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation, Melessa Vassell; and Town Clerk, Robert Hill.

The Facts

  • The scope of the project, being undertaken in phases, includes installation of plumbing and electrical works; installation of air-conditioning units, LED lights, windows and doors, among other things.
  • In an interview with JIS News, Mayor of Kingston, Senator Councillor Delroy Williams, said the project aims to improve the infrastructure and aesthetics at the facility.

The Full Story

Improvement work at the Glen Owen Isolation Ward at the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston continues today (May 23), in an effort to better treat patients with infectious diseases.

Renovation of the ward, which started last week, is being undertaken by the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) as one of its 2018 Labour Day projects.

The scope of the project, being undertaken in phases, includes installation of plumbing and electrical works; installation of air-conditioning units, LED lights, windows and doors, among other things.

Employees of the KSAMC participated in painting and clean-up activities at the ward today.

In an interview with JIS News, Mayor of Kingston, Senator Councillor Delroy Williams, said the project aims to improve the infrastructure and aesthetics at the facility.

“We have basically put up a new structure, which is more secure. There is a decontamination area that you would have to enter; we didn’t have that before,” the Mayor said.

He said the KSAMC is committed to continue the improvements at the ward, which caters to children from across the island.

“This is a project that we can safely say is money well spent. We are committing to continuing the renovation work until we are satisfied that the ward is at a standard that we believe is right for our children,” he said.

Senator Williams said the KSAMC will be looking to partner with the Hospital to provide equipment for the ward.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, Anthony Wood, said the hospital is grateful for the support, as the renovation will not only improve the services of the hospital but will have a positive impact on staff.

“I am excited and I believe my team is excited about it. This isolation area has been here for many years, from in the 1980s, but we have significantly improved it. We actually knocked it down and rebuilt it,” he said.

Mr. Wood said the 25-bed ward is an important part of the medical management process at the facility.

“Instead of putting them (children) on a general medical ward, we isolate them, treat them, manage them, and as soon as they start to recover, we move them out, because they would no longer need to be in that area,” he said.

In healthcare facilities, isolation represents one of several measures that can be taken to implement infection control – the prevention of contagious diseases being spread from a patient to other patients, healthcare workers and visitors, or from outsiders to a particular patient.

The Bustamante Hospital for Children is the only specialist paediatric hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean. It caters to the medical needs of children in Jamaica and neighbouring Caribbean countries from zero to 12 years.

This year’s Labour Day projects were carried out under the theme ‘Ramp it up… Fix it up’, with a focus on installing ramps in schools and improving health centres.

Last Updated: May 24, 2018

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