Several Facilities Improved at Spanish Town Hospital

Several facilities, including the pharmacy building and other areas, have been improved at the Spanish Town Hospital in St. Catherine, from a $32-million infrastructure project.

The work included renovation of the outpatient waiting area, repurposing of the hospital storage facility, relocation of the laboratory, as well as construction of the covered waiting area, which has the capacity to accommodate 300 outpatients.

Upgrading of the hospital is part of the Health Systems Strengthening Programme (HSSP), from which the institution is being positioned to be a modern six-storey facility spread across more than 17,000 square metres and will include several access points for staff and patients, as well as a skywalk that links the wards.

Speaking at the official opening of the facilities on Wednesday, May 15, Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said the Administration has recognised that the health facilities in the parish need to be expanded for patients and staff.

“We are responding to the need of the people and staff at the hospital, and significant expansion work will be done at several health centres in St. Catherine,” the Minister said.

Dr. Tufton explained that improvements to the information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure also formed part of the works, which will improve access to medical services, providing, among other things, electronic access to patients’ medical records.

He said the Spanish Town Hospital has gone live with Electronic Health Records (EHR), following the May Pen Hospital earlier this year, and the “intention is to improve the quality of service” for all users of the institution.

The Spanish Town Hospital has the second highest number of newborn deliveries in Jamaica, with service in this area enhanced by a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit set up in August 2019.

That unit has the capacity to accommodate 40 babies and sees an average of 1,200 babies per year.

There is also a Maternity Unit that houses an operating theatre, labour ward, postnatal ward, and an antenatal ward.