Spanish Town Hospital Elated By Royal Visit

Excited cheers and enthusiastic applause from staff of the Spanish Town Hospital greeted Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they arrived at the facility for an official visit Wednesday afternoon (March 23).

Staff lined the corridors appropriately adorned with fabric bearing the colours of the Jamaican flag, and anxiously waited to snap a photograph of the Royals and get an opportunity to be greeted by them. Their Royal Highnesses graciously waved to staff and interacted with them at various intervals.

As per procedure, Their Royal Highnesses were first met on arrival by Chief of State Protocol, Ambassador Sandra Grant Griffiths, and was then led on a tour of the facility by Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton.

They were accompanied by Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Spanish Town Hospital, Jacqueline Ellis; the hospital’s Senior Medical Officer, Jacqueline Wright James; Custos Rotulorum of St. Catherine, Hon. Icylin Golding; among other officials.

Their Royal Highnesses visited the Outpatient Department, where they interacted with staff and observed persons receiving their coronavirus (COVID-19) booster shots; the Accident and Emergency Department, where the Royals also engaged in extended dialogue with staff; and the Neo-Natal Ward within the Maternity Ward. Their Royal Highnesses also unveiled a plaque memorialising their visit to the Spanish Town Hospital.

His Royal Highness, the Duke of Cambridge, who spoke briefly following the tour, thanked the nation’s front-line health workers for their hard, diligent work.

He said he is aware that the last two years have been especially difficult for front-line workers, who “have been a wall of strength and support for everyone”, as they sought to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

He urged front-line staff to take care of themselves, including protecting their mental health and managing their stress.

“In your world, life doesn’t get any easier. Every day, you’re doing the same thing – saving people’s lives. So, please look after yourselves,” he implored.

Dr. Tufton told JIS News that Jamaica welcomes the visit of the Royals, especially “coming on the heels of COVID”.

“I [believe] the Royal Family would want to be exposed to our institutions of public health that have been at the forefront in the COVID response, and the Spanish Town [Hospital] is one of the very active institutions in the country, certainly in this part of the country, so I think it is appropriate that this hospital be identified,” he said.

He noted that Jamaica’s front-line workers have a good reputation in the United Kingdom (UK), and this visit gave the Royals an opportunity to understand the intricacies of how these workers carry out their duties.

The hospital’s CEO also told JIS News that the staff was elated to have Their Royal Highness visiting the Spanish Town Hospital in recognition of the front-line workers.

“They were very happy; they were elated to have them and truly we are happy that we were selected… by the Ministry of Health. The visit is a remarkable one for us and it highlights the hospital, and for us, that is what is important,” she said.

She noted that the Spanish Town Hospital, which caters to patients from Portmore, Spanish Town and Old Harbour, is over capacity, as it was built to manage 277 patients but manages more than 400 daily.

“We are struggling, but we find innovative ways to admit our patients and manage them well,” she said.

Matron, Director of Nursing Services, Novelette Robinson, said she was also heartened that the facility was chosen as the hospital for the Royal Visit.=

“It happens once in a lifetime, so of course we are very elated and also we, too, will be celebrating our 70th year this year, so it is significant for us,” she told JIS News.

Their Royal Highnesses’ visit to the Spanish Town Hospital is part of the schedule of activities for their Official Visit to Jamaica from March 22 to 24. The Official Visit forms part of celebrations marking the 70th Anniversary (Platinum Jubilee) of the Coronation of Her Majesty The Queen.