Jamaica Better Equipped to Deal with Another Crisis Such as Covid-19 Pandemic – PM
By: , March 11, 2025
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (second right), at the unveiling of a monument in honour of healthcare workers who died while combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, today (March 10), at the National Chest Hospital in St. Andrew. Also at the unveiling are (from left) Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie; Professor of Public Health and Ageing, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Dr. Denise Eldemire-Shearer; Leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding, and Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton.
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (third right); Professor of Public Health and Ageing, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Dr. Denise Eldemire-Shearer (left); Leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding (third left); Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (second right), and Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie (right), with family members of healthcare workers who died while combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, during the unveiling of a monument in their honour, today (March 10), at the National Chest Hospital in St. Andrew.
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, lays a wreath at a monument that was unveiled today (March 10), at the National Chest Hospital in St. Andrew, in honour of healthcare workers who died while combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.The Full Story
The Government has significantly increased investments in healthcare and should another crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic hit the island, the country will be better equipped to deal with it, according to Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.
Speaking at the unveiling of a monument in honour of healthcare workers who died while tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, on Monday (March 10), at the National Chest Hospital in St. Andrew, the Prime Minister said out of a commitment to strengthen the healthcare system and to strengthen the healthcare workforce, the Government instituted the Dr. Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship in 2024.
“We are investing $2.5 billion to support 607 students pursuing studies in medical technology, nursing, biomedical engineering, and other critical health-related fields,” he said, adding that the fund is ensuring the building of a robust pipeline of professionals “dedicated to service in the health sector.
“This is a solid commitment of how the Government is dealing with building resilience in the system, supporting our professionals, and at the same time ensuring that we can deliver healthcare with care,” the Prime Minister said.
He noted that while July has been earmarked to recognise the “selfless contribution of those who carried us through the crisis, more needs to be done”.
“Our appreciation cannot be confined to a single month or a single event. It must be reflected in how we value and support our healthcare professionals every single day. To the families of the fallen, I know that no words can fill the space left, especially for your loved ones,” Dr. Holness said.
The Prime Minister underscored that the legacies of the healthcare workers live on in the patients they treated, the lives they touched, and now in the monument that has been erected.
“Let us commit to a Jamaica where those who dedicate their lives to caring for others are themselves cared for. Let us also commit to upholding the values these healthcare workers have embodied – care, compassion, resilience and unity. In their action and sacrifice, they made a choice,” the Prime Minister said.
March 10 marks the fifth anniversary since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the country, and the fourth year since the start of the recovery with the administration of vaccines.