KINGSTON, Jamaica — Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton sharply criticised People’s National Party (PNP) president Mark Golding for what he describes as “immorally misleading” members of the Jamaican Diaspora about the Government’s expenditure on renovations of the Cornwall Regional Hospital, which is nearing completion.

Golding made comments during a Florida Diaspora Visit last week, alleging that the Government had incurred billions of dollars in cost overruns on the project.

“What we know is that the Government is on a major spending binge in renovating a hospital and we know from experience that that is a problem in terms of corruption,” Golding had commented.

“If we look at Cornwall Regional Hospital that was supposed to be renovated at a cost of $2 billion and it still can’t finish and the budget gone over $20 billion and there has been no accountability for that, none,” Golding had said.

During his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Minister Tufton slammed Golding’s allegations as inaccurate and mischievous, while outlining how the money has been spent.

“First of all, the $21-billion includes expenditures on the Falmouth Hospital, on the Noel Holmes and also on building out a new accident and emergency unit at the Mount Salem clinic along with a new diagnostic centre outside of the main building. For those who care to know the truth, they would appreciate that we had to build a hospital around the Cornwall Regional Hospital to continue the services in order to repair the main building,” Tufton explained.

The Health Minister also rejected Golding’s allegation of a cost overrun on the Cornwall Regional Hospital renovation project.

“There is a difference between cost overrun and rescoping of cost because what is being bandied about as a cost overrun is not a cost overrun. What started as fixing a ventilation system morphed into stripping down a ten-story building and replacing every single window, every single door, every ward, every operating theatre. So, in effect, what we are doing is building a brand-new hospital for the people of Western Jamaica,” Minister Tufton disclosed.

“Let me reiterate, there’s a difference between rescoping and cost overrun, and the mischief in your statement and statements on that side are that the impression is created that somehow what was supposed to be three or 4 billion almost turned 21 billion because somebody pocketed the rest of it and went somewhere with it. It is unfair, it is wrong, it is immoral, and it is mischievous,” Tufton told Golding in Parliament.

Minister Tufton told the House that the Government has already spent $3.5 billion on this project and is projected to spend $5.81 billion this year.

“That final phase that we’re in, work has now started to deal with the internal infrastructure in the building, and we will see the manifestations of that in the months to come,” Tufton concluded.