Port Royal Health Centre Adopted

The Port Royal Health Centre has been officially adopted by Fraser, Fontaine and Kong Insurance Brokers Ltd.

Speaking at the adoption ceremony, which took place at the health centre on Thursday, July 7, Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said it is important for Jamaicans to know that there is partnership in Public Health.

“I want to urge Jamaicans to embrace partnership as a future fundamental of public health response – of personal health and wellness and of community health and wellness – because there is no other way,” Dr. Tufton said.

“We have to adjust our mindset to working with others to solve the problems that we face. Humanity will be better off. In the public health space, it is patient-centric. We must all turn our eyes to the patient and solve the problem of the patient,” he added.

The Minister expressed gratitude to the donors for their benevolence to the people of Port Royal through the adoption.

“There are many entities that have demonstrated compassion in different ways to advancing the cause of good health at the community level, and today Fraser, Fontaine and Kong is doing that,” Dr. Tufton said.

He thanked the company for the “decision, efforts, motivation and social conscience” demonstrated by reaching out to the facility.

Meanwhile, Dr. Tufton pointed out that the Port Royal Health Centre Adoption is number 38, and that the Adopt-a-Clinic Programme has garnered almost $170 million in commitments, to date.

“We’ve embarked on this programme because we feel that we really need to remind Jamaicans at the community level and otherwise of the importance of our health centres and the importance of partnership around our health centres,” the Minister said.

He noted that the pledged amount of $3 million over three years will go a far way, because in primary healthcare it is the small improvements to enhance the environment for the healthcare worker and the client that really make the difference.

According to the Minister, the importance of healthcare is an invaluable lesson from the COVID-19 experience.

He pointed out that it is the nurses, nurses’ aides and support team (including Community Health Aides) who had to go out into the communities, inform the people, guide them, and visit them when they could not come out because they are over 65.

The Port Royal Health Centre, which is located in one of Jamaica’s most historic towns, serves a population of 3,327.

The health centre is one of more than 300 health facilities at the primary-care level islandwide that will benefit from the Ministry of Health and Wellness Primary Healthcare Reform Programme.