Member of Parliament (MP) for Manchester North Western Mikael Phillips is calling for more investment in the public health-care infrastructure in rural areas, and for the health ministry to deliver on its promise of universal health care for Jamaicans.

Delivering his state of the constituency presentation in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Phillips said constituencies such as his are in dire need of more health facilities. He pointed to the deep-rural community of Comfort Hall at the foothills of the Cockpit Country.

“They have no health-care facility. Comfort Hall residents must go either to Balaclava in St Elizabeth, Mile Gully or even as far as Mandeville,” he told the House.

Phillips said that as MP, he has begun the process of building a type two health centre in Comfort Hall, but has been hampered by lack of funding.

“I have approached State agencies for assistance in completing the project. Only the National Health Fund has provided a favourable response so far, but we are not giving up, as it has taken three years to reach this point,” he said.

The MP stressed that the novel coronavirus pandemic has exposed the need for additional health-care facilities in rural Jamaica, and that Government agencies need to invest more in these areas.

He also highlighted difficulties with access to education, noting that there is only one high school — Mile Gully High — serving the entire constituency.

“Imagine 14 primary schools and only one high school where students in the constituency can be placed. Therefore, most students from north-west must be placed in schools outside of the constituency and commute long distances to get an education,” he explained, pointing also to nagging issue of some students being forced to take several modes of transport to get to and from school.

“Mile Gully High School will certainly need more resources to ensure that the only high school in North West Manchester can adequately accommodate the students in the constituency,” he urged.

Phillips pointed out that for 10 years now the education ministry has been promising a new site for Mile Gully High. He noted that US$300,000 committed by Jamalco towards the construction of a new plant for the school was withdrawn for lack of use, as Government had not moved, since its announcement again in 2017, to build on some 40 acres of land which were donated for the school.

According to the MP, as a result of his intervention, Jamalco has reinstated the funds. “However, I warn that if there are further project delays it is likely that the funds will be withdrawn again,” he said.

“The school is housed in buildings originally built for the Mile Gully Primary School, which are wooden and over fifty years old. Two years ago, the health department declared two of these wooden buildings unfit for use and ordered them closed. This has only worsened the school’s ability to accommodate more than 730 students,” Phillips lamented.

Furthermore, he said a design for the high school is yet to materialise, despite information that one had been completed.