St. Thomas Infirmary Gets Facelift On Labour Day

Beautification works were carried out at the St. Thomas Infirmary on Monday (May 23) as part of activities by the Municipal Corporation to mark Labour Day 2022.

These included cleaning of drains, painting of exterior walls, cutting of grass and raking of the compound by staff of the Municipal Corporation as well as volunteers from First Heritage Co-Operative Credit Union in the parish.

Mayor of Morant Bay, Councillor Michael Hue, told JIS News that the infirmary was chosen as the main project for the parish, because it is “a very special place that is dear to our hearts”.

“The [slogan] for Labour Day is ‘Mek Jamaica Cris and Clean’ and we at the St. Thomas Municipal Corporation are doing remedial works and cleaning up the infirmary,” he added.

He noted that the facility, which houses 46 residents, has not accepted any new accommodations since the pandemic, but added that “we are looking into [the situation] because there are a lot of people inquiring. We are watching the infection rate to see what can be done and we are guided by the Ministry of Health and Wellness”.

Chief Executive Officer at the Municipal Corporation, Claudia Carter, said that even on Labour Day, strict precautionary measures were taken to ensure the safety of residents.

She said the small turnout of volunteers was deliberate “because we are quite aware of the impact of COVID”.

“The painting that is taking place is just on the outside of the building. We are not allowing anyone to go inside where the residents are,” she noted.

She said that other works will be undertaken such as rehabilitating the roadway that leads into the Infirmary in the coming week.

Acting Matron of the facility, Antoinette Forrester, expressed her delight and gratitude for the work being done, noting that due to the pandemic, “it has been two years since anybody has visited the Infirmary [in this capacity]”.

Elsewhere in the parish, Labour Day work was carried out at the White Horses Primary school, which was repainted in association with the National Water Commission (NWC).

Other projects included road improvement in the capital town of Morant Bay, cleaning of the grounds at the Princess Margaret Hospital and the clearing of the playfield in the Prospect community.

Mayor Hue told JIS News that work has been done in all 10 divisions in the parish.

Labour Day 2022 is guided by the overarching theme, ‘Re-igniting a Nation for Greatness – Protect our Heritage and Environment’.