Mandeville Health Centre Upgraded and Retrofitted to Deal with Disasters
By: , July 18, 2023
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (centre), in discussion with community health aide Shernette Haffenden-Williams (left), while on a tour of the upgraded Mandeville Comprehensive Health Centre in Manchester on July 13. At right is British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Her Excellency Judith Slater.
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (centre), tours the upgraded Mandeville Comprehensive Health Centre on July 13. With the Minister (from left) are Parish Manager for Manchester Health Services, Sandia Chambers and Chairman of the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA), Wayne Chen.
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (second left), cuts the ribbon to hand over the upgraded Mandeville Comprehensive Health Centre in Manchester, July 13. Sharing the moment (from left) are British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Her Excellency Judith Slater; Acting Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Representative, Dr. Serene Joseph; Director at the United Kingdom (UK), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Malcom Geere and Adviser to PAHO, Dr. Marion Bullock DuCasse.The Full Story
The Mandeville Comprehensive Health Centre in Manchester has been upgraded to offer improved services and retrofitted with additional safety features to be more resilient to natural disasters.
The work was done under the US$6.5-million Caribbean-wide Smart Health Project, funded through the United Kingdom (UK) Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with support from the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO).
Safety features include the replacement or strengthening of damaged timber roof material, waterproofing, installation of new doors and hurricane windows, replacement of damaged floor finishes and the introduction of antimicrobial surfaces in critical areas.
The electrical network was upgraded, firefighting equipment installed and fire-detection devices put in. The green areas at the facility were improved to provide for more efficient cooling and ventilation.
A rainwater harvesting system has also been installed at the Centre with both above-ground and underground tanks, storm-water drains improved, and LED lights, solar and water heaters installed to lower operating expenditure.
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said the Health Centre is a model to “standardise the public health system”, and this would be incorporated into other public health facilities across the island.
Speaking at the handover of the Centre on July 13, the Minister said the features will “ensure that the facility stays smart, which means good maintenance, proper usage, and those who come to use it benefit from all the features. It is an investment for the community,” the Minister said.
For her part, Acting PAHO Representative, Dr. Serene Joseph, said retrofitting of the Centre has made it more ready to “handle present and potential risks caused by disasters and Climate Change”.
Director at the United Kingdom (UK) Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Malcom Geere, said the Centre is designed to “withstand a Category 5 hurricane, earthquake and severe flood”.