MONTEGO BAY, St James — Minister of Health Dr Christopher Tufton is hoping the delay-plagued rehabilitation of the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) will be completed before 2025, the last timeline provided.

“It is very early days and so those discussions and negotiations are still taking place. So I am a little bit hesitant to give a definitive timeline at this point, but I can say with confidence the project is making good progress and I believe that it is one of the first times since the past two years that I can say that I am a lot more comfortable with how we are proceeding,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Two weeks ago, state minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for coordinating special projects and major developments in western Jamaica, Homer Davis indicated that the project had been pushed back by another three years.

However, Tufton believes that work already done will mean a shorter time to completion.

“… If we had kept it on the trajectory we were going before the calibration, it could be five. I am not prepared to say any of those because I want it to be done well within those times. I would like to see it a lot more within the three years than what is being looked at at this point,” he said.

He was speaking with the Observer after a meeting of the committee that has oversight for the project. New members have been appointed, with the bulk of them residents of western Jamaica, unlike the previous Cornwall Regional Hospital Rehabilitation Project Oversight Committee. The body has now been expanded from five to 13 members. It includes four members from the previous committee put in place in 2018, with the other nine coming from the west.

Professor Archibald McDonald, who was unable to continue as the head of the committee, was replaced by Dr Jeffrey East, who was a surgeon at CRH for several years.

“The previous committee was comprised of people primarily not from the parish when it was chaired by Professor McDonald, all competent people, all playing their role, coming down when needed to provide the assessment, give their feedback, so I am appreciative of that. But I do believe that there is justification in having more members of the committee from the area where the hospital is located,” the minister explained during the meeting.

He later told the Observer that the changes were done in an amicable manner, and there had been no issue of non-performance by previous committee members.

However, measures have been put in place to ensure the new members perform. During the meeting, a non-legal binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed, clearly outlining the committee’s scope of work and the expectation of quarterly meetings, during which time a report is expected from the project manager. The committee will also provide a report to the minister based on its assessments, outlining concerns and recommendations. The committee will also assist with interfacing with the community.