ST THOMAS, Jamaica — The construction of perimeter fencing at the Princess Margaret Hospital in St. Thomas is now complete, the Health Ministry is reporting.

The project was completed in two phases and was financed by the National Health Fund at a cost of $27.9 million.

Phase one saw the installation of 1,200 metres of chain link fencing along the entrance, front and east side of the hospital grounds and was completed to the tune of $13.6 million by Marshall Construction Limited the Ministry said in a report Wednesday.

In phase two of the project, 665 metres of chain link fencing was installed along the northern and western sections. This phase was completed by General Construction Limited at a cost of $14.3 million.

“The first phase of the project focused on securing the most vulnerable and accessible sections of the hospital,” Dr Andei Cooke, South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) Acting Board Chairman explained.

“The second phase focused on the western section of the facility which is a hilly terrain and is less accessible to intruders, while the Northern section is in the vicinity of irregular, undulating terrain inclusive of a nearby spring,” he said.

Dr Cooke emphasised that securing the staff and patients is paramount and so he is pleased that the security fencing project has been completed.

“Prior to the erection of the fence the staff and patients were subjected to security breaches resulting in robbery and assault,” he said.

“Now that the project is complete, both staff and patients can rest assured that they are no longer vulnerable to unwanted elements on the hospital grounds.”