No Plans to Privatize KPH – Minister Buchanan

Minister of Information and Development, Donald Buchanan has stated that the Government has no plans to privatize the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).
Mr. Buchanan who was responding to reports to the contrary in the media asserted that, “at no time did the Minister of Health (Horace Dalley) propose any divestment or privatisation of the KPH.”
“What the Minister said was that he was considering separating the administration of the KPH from the South Eastern Regional Health Authority, and making it an autonomous administrative entity similar to the University Hospital of the West Indies,” Mr. Buchanan said.
He was speaking at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing held at Jamaica House on (July 16).
In the meantime he informed that Cabinet approved emergency procurement procedures to purchase equipment valuing $10 million for the KPH, which is expected to be delivered within a month.
He also added that Health Corporation, which had an overhang of $368 million from the financial year 2006/2007 was allocated $265 million between April and June 2007.
“Suppliers have received payments hence they are no longer holding stock. However the lead times required for items coming from Asia (tender source for medical supplies such as needles and syringes) has created a difficulty. In the meantime stocks of drugs and other medicines are being sourced from local distributors,” Mr. Buchanan said.