KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Health and Wellness has allocated $1.164 billion to provide meals at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) and the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH).

The three-year contract was signed between the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) and the service provider, Patsy Lyn Caterers Limited at the National Chest Hospital in Kingston today.

Under the contract, three meals will be provided daily for doctors (interns) and patients at the hospitals.

Also at the ceremony, another contract valued at approximately $69.3 million for the procurement and installation of a neurosurgical microscope at the KPH was signed between SERHA and supplier, Industrial and Technical Supplies Limited.

The microscope is especially adapted for surgeries involving the brain, spinal cord and spine.

Health and Wellness Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, in his remarks, commended the island’s public health practitioners and stakeholders for “the good work they do daily”.

“Our public health system works on a daily basis to treat, cure and dispatch persons back to their loved ones, and a big part of that is the work done by our suppliers,” he pointed out. 

Noting that nearly three million persons access the island’s public health services annually, Tufton reiterated the Government’s commitment to providing quality services to the staff and patients of these facilities.

“It is about the benefits to the hospital system, to patients and staff. It is about how we position ourselves to give the best possible service to Jamaicans who use our public health system,” he added.

For his part, Board Chairman, SERHA, Wentworth Charles, said these considerable investments are a testament to the Government’s commitment to providing high-quality services in the public health system.

“We consider dietary services and other necessary equipment to carry out the effective operations of a hospital as very important. We [will] continue to provide solutions to meet these challenges,” he said.

— JIS