HEALTH Minister John Junor says the health sector will need more than $200 million to repair the damage to health facilities across the island caused by Hurricane Ivan.

Speaking with reporters at the health ministry’s headquarters, Minister Junor also noted that the Southern Region health facilities account for a little over 43 per cent or just under $90 million of the damage.

“The initial damage of the Ministry of Health facilities is put at $206.58 million with the greatest damage of $89.58 million being in the Southern Region, followed by the Western Regional Health Authority, the North East, and with the least damage being in the South East Region,” he said. “The figure is likely to change as more detailed assessments are done and access gained to remote health centres.”

Minister Junor said 23 out of 26 health centres in Manchester are operational, while in Clarendon 13 out of 35 are operating and over 90 per cent of the health facilities in St Elizabeth are back on track.

“The Clarendon Health Department will be instituting a schedule of mobile clinics to serve communities where health services are inoperable,” Minister Junor said, adding that clinics will start next Tuesday and operate for six weeks.

In the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Junor said that 43 per cent of the health centres received some damage. Major damage occurred in Westmoreland, resulting in the closure of the Negril, New Works and Petersfield health centres.

Junor said while it was apparent that the North East region was not the most seriously affected, St Mary, which is sited in that area, received a serious pounding. The Annotto Bay Hospital, he added sustained approximately 70 per cent damage to its roof.

Meanwhile, in the South East region regular services have resumed at all hospitals and most health centres.

“Mavis Bank is still struggling with the lack of water and electricity and the entrance to the Cedar Valley Health Centre in St Thomas is blocked,” Minister Junor said.

The ministry will not be diverting money from its budget, but will rely on resources from the recently established Office of National Reconstruction (ONR), the CHASE Fund and the National Health Fund (NHF) to repair the damage to the health facilities.

Junor said however that there would be some re-ordering of priorities.

“In the case of the NHF for example, we had indicated our priorities this year was pharmaceuticals, training and physical infrastructure. In the face of this we are going to have to ask our health staff to hold strain on training because they won’t have places to work… and I have been in discussions with the chairman of the NHF in that regard,” he told the press conference.

“The CHASE Fund has already been in touch with me in terms of seeing where our priorities are in health.”

Additionally, Minister Junor noted that he will be attending a PAHO annual meeting where he will seek to mobilise additional resources internationally.

“Prior to the hurricane we had some initial discussion with a source out of Europe looking at the upgrading of some of our facilities. Hopefully we can settle on the terms of that and expedite it, then we can address some of the issues,” he remarked.

In the meantime, Minister Junor said that the ministry would prioritise the promotion of prevention programmes as it relates to issues such as environmental sanitation and maternal and child care health.

“Particularly at a time like this that has to receive priority because it is that which stops people from getting into hospitals,” he explained, adding that the priority will also be given to hospital in the ‘A’ and ‘B’ classifications. “In terms of secondary care facilities, those that offer full range services will be brought up to speed.”