Surgical Ward and Burn Unit at Children’s Hospital Refurbished

The Surgical Ward and the Burn Unit at the Bustamante Hospital for Children have been refurbished at a cost of approximately $5.7 million.

The facilities were officially re-opened by the Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, during a ceremony at the hospital on Arthur Wint Drive, in Kingston, on Thursday, February 21.

Dr. Ferguson said the refurbishment is part of the Government’s thrust to improve the health care infrastructure and delivery for the nation’s children, as well as respond to the growing demand for services at the facility.

“In recent times, we have been experiencing a surge in patient visits to Bustamante Hospital and so we recognise that accommodation has to be made for this increase. It is essential that as the only specialist paediatric facility in the English speaking Caribbean, the Bustamante Hospital is equipped to manage this increasing number of children and their parents and guardians,” he said.

Dr. Ferguson stressed that the Ministry of Health takes seriously its responsibility to ensure that there is a suitably healthy environment being created in which the nation’s children can strive socially, economically and physically.

Ward 2 houses surgical patients and holds 25 beds. Work on the ward was done at a value of $2.5 million and included painting, carpentry, tiling, electrical work and refurbishing of cribs and bedside tables.

The work on the Burn Unit was carried out at a cost of $3.2 million and included painting, carpentry, tiling, electrical work, bathroom renovation and roofing. The Burn Unit provides holistic treatment for patients suffering from all types of burns, including flame, scald, electrical and chemical. The unit currently has 15 beds.

The project, which began in December last year, was spearheaded by the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA).