NEGRIL, Hanover — Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton on Tuesday said that recruitment has begun to fill approximately 1,208 positions at Western Child and Adolescent Hospital (WCAH), currently under construction in St James, and vowed that the Government will not allow it to become a white elephant, as is being predicted by critics.

“We will not allow the Western Child and Adolescent Hospital to open as — as some would like it to be — a white elephant.

It is going to serve the purpose for the population because that is why it was built and that is what will happen. I want to reassure the public of that. We have a plan and we are working towards the plan,” insisted Tufton.

At the same time, Tufton said, if necessary, the Government would have to look at importing health-care professionals to provide services to St James, Trelawny, Hanover, and Westmoreland, as well as St Ann, Manchester, and St Elizabeth — the parishes that will provide the hospital’s catchment population of approximately 989,928 people.

“We do intend, where necessary, to recruit from other countries, because it is unlikely that we will be able to satisfy the demands that are required with Jamaicans alone, given the migration of health-care workers and the limitations with training,” argued Tufton.

“Everybody knows that we have a critical shortage of critical care nurses; that is common knowledge. There is a problem in many of our institutions now, and on this list there is a number that suggests 700. That immediately would raise particular interest by the team to ensure that we can fill that gap. That is why we have to look local and see what is possible and then, where it is not possible, we have to do otherwise,” the health minister said in response to a question from the Jamaica Observer during a media briefing at Royalton Negril hotel.

He cited the recently implemented scholarship fund of $2.5 billion over five years, a collaboration with countries such as The Philippines, Nigeria, and Cuba, as an example of how the Government has been trying to address the staff shortage.

He said that in an effort to address the issue in time for the anticipated opening — in a year’s time — the ministry had embarked on the development of a workforce plan, followed by identifying the workforce.

Since April 2024, four key positions have been filled for the WCAH. Among them are Deputy Chief Executive Officer Camille Lewin, Senior Medical Officer Carlene Grant Davis, Director of Nursing Alison Chambers, and Senior Public Procurement Officer Nicola Forbes. Others, such as a senior human resource officer, are expected to join the team in July.

In addition, a comprehensive staffing plan has been drafted and submitted to the ministry for approval of a staff complement of 1,208 across 22 departments.

When completed, the eight-floor building is expected to accommodate 220 beds — five times the 38-bed space that existed in Cornwall Regional Hospital’s main building in the past.

The WCAH will be the only institution in the country to offer specialised adolescent health care and is expected to take some of the workload from Bustamante Hospital for Children.

When completed, the WCAH will have the need for social services, teachers, and staff to run a day-care centre.

Tufton said the operational budget for 2024-2025 has been completed while the operational commissioning plan is being prepared ahead of being presented for stakeholder consultations and approval. In addition, specifications for additional equipment required are currently being reviewed by the ministry.