Minister McKenzie Joins in Sprucing Up Gardens at VJH and KPH
By: , May 23, 2025
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Minister of Local Government and Community Development and Member of Parliament for Kingston Western, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, removes weeds from the garden area of the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) on Friday (May 23). Minister McKenzie was participating in a Labour Day Project organised by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) to renovate gardens, prune trees and clean benches at the VJH and Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Minister of Local Government and Community Development and Member of Parliament for Kingston Western, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, plants a tree in the gardens at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) on Friday (May 23). Looking on (from left) are Senior Medical Officer of the VJH, Dr. Garth McDonald; and Chief Executive Officer, Barrington Graham. Minister McKenzie was participating in a Labour Day project at the VJH and Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) organised by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).The Full Story
Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, joined the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) team in giving a facelift to the gardens at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) and Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) on Friday, May 23).
Scores of students and other volunteers from surrounding communities, came out to participate in the Labour Day activity, which entailed planting and pruning flowers and trees, pulling weeds and cleaning benches in the garden areas.
Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Minister McKenzie said that the project was not a new undertaking for the NSWMA and congratulated the entity for its commitment to the health facilities.
“This is something that they have been doing over the years, but today, they have expanded it to include many more persons from schools and the surrounding community,” he noted.
Minister McKenzie pointed out that the VJH and KPH, which are situated in his Kingston Western constituency, are two of the oldest medical facilities in the region.
VJH is the largest referral maternity hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean and KPH is the largest multidisciplinary hospital in the government health service as well as the largest trauma centre in the public hospital system.
“So, the importance of both institutions cannot be overestimated and the efforts of the NSWMA, the communities and the various stakeholders are to help to re-energise the facilities,” Minister McKenzie noted.
He highlighted that the project was in line with the theme for Labour Day 2025 ‘Protect the Environment, Our Land, Our Duty, Our Future’.
“This is a good project. Planting [trees] goes a far way in enhancing the environment and that is why we are here today under the slogan for Labour Day, ‘Jamaican Nice, Protect Wi Paradise,’ Minister McKenzie added.