KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The care of patients continues with minimal disruption at health facilities in western Jamaica, as rehabilitation work progresses on the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH), in Montego Bay, St James.

According to Chairman of the CRH Rehabilitation Oversight Committee, Professor Archibald McDonald, primary healthcare in the area where the hospital serves has seen an increase of 6.5 per cent since February, which suggests that some of the patients “were redirected to primary care facilities”.

McDonald, who was providing an update on the work of the committee at a press briefing held today at the New Kingston offices of the Ministry of Health, said the rehabilitation work should be completed by August 2019.

“When this project is finished, the air-quality issue will be solved, and the hospital will be a better (facility) than it was before,” the chairman said. 

Since establishment of the committee in May, members have held five meetings, two each month, to ensure accountability in the restoration of the hospital.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Sancia Bennett Templer, lauded the support staff at the various health institutions in the region, who are giving extensive service to ensure that “our population in the West is getting the best care that we can provide at this time”.

The CRH is undergoing renovation to address the problem of noxious fumes emanating from an old ventilation system. In addition to addressing the vent system, the project also involves plumbing and electrical works, and rearranging of the facility to ensure a more efficient layout in order to administer better and more efficient patient care.

The committee’s mandate includes reviewing reports on the delivery of clinical services at the hospital, covering on-site and off-site locations to which services have been relocated, and providing recommendations to the Minister of Health on matters related to the execution of the project.