LILLIPUT, St James — Opposition Spokesman on Health Dr Alfred Dawes has poured cold water on Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton’s assurance that Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) is on track for phased reopening before the year ends.

Instead, Dr Dawes has asked for a progress report on issues that he said need to be addressed at the State-run medical facility where billions of dollars have been spent on rehabilitation over the last seven years.

During a media briefing on the sidelines of his ministry’s strategic planning retreat at Iberostar Resort in Rose Hall, St James, on Wednesday, Tufton touched on the status of CRH.

“I am anticipating that by November, possibly early December of this year, we expect to begin to phase the reopening of Cornwall, not a substantial phasing in, but incrementally — showing the progress that we have been making with the build back and the build-out of the institution,” he stated.

“On one floor, where the administrative department was, they are now finalising the internals of that area. And we anticipate, hopefully by year end, the latest, that our key administrative staff will now reoccupy that section of the facility. Remember the approach to Cornwall was that we would phase floor-by-floor over time to next year,” the minister added.

However, Dr Dawes, who was once part of the Western Regional Health Authority team as the senior medical officer for Westmoreland, told the Jamaica Observer Tufton’s comments covered no new ground.

“The announcement that they would have been reoccupying the building on a phased basis was said last year, so saying it again this year is adding nothing more to what the staff and patients want to know,” argued Dr Dawes.

The CRH was initially evacuated following persistent complaints from staff about air quality issues which were taking a toll on their health.

Services were relocated to the nearby West Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists property and the Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny.

In 2017, rehabilitation work began on the building but it missed several completion dates and the budget has ballooned.

Tufton has repeatedly sought to justify the delays and cost overrun by explaining that the scope of the work changed significantly, morphing into something akin to building an entirely new facility with state-of-the-art equipment.

On Thursday, Dawes told the Observer there are still unresolved issues.

“Chief among them: Who is going to certify the building air quality as being optimal? Because the PAHO [Pan American Health Organization] report, I believe, had said that the Ministry of Health does not have the capability to certify that the air quality is good. So who is going to certify that the quality is good so that the staff and patients will feel comfortable re-entering that building?” he questioned.

Dawes further alleged that there were issues with the large electrical transformers.

“Have those been addressed? The main beams at the base of the hospital, have they been strengthened? What is the status overall of the works? How will the reoccupying of the building at this point impact on the works, now that the children’s hospital is more likely to open before the Cornwall renovation is done, and it was started way after, and the fact that not much visible work is taking place at the hospital right now?” added Dr Dawes.

The construction of the 10-storey, Type ‘A’ CRH was completed in 1972 and officially opened to the public on May 10, 1974.

At the time, the hospital, located in Mount Salem, was considered one of the most elaborate and sophisticated institutions of its kind in the world.

During his media briefing Tufton revealed that come next week the Cornwall Regional Lab facilities will be officially accredited by the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC), which provides stamps of approval based on international standards.

“What it means is that the Cornell Regional Lab has now demonstrated not just competence in doing the work, but also establishing all the international benchmark standards to qualify as a certified accredited lab facility,” the minister explained.

“It’s a big deal for us because we’ve been trying to raise and maintain standards. And next week we will have the conversations on that and you’ll get a chance to come and see what’s happening,” he added.

Tufton also used the press conference to outline several improved services and equipment sourced for hospitals and clinics in the western region.