ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — The Greater Portmore Health Centre in St Catherine is being upgraded to a Type 5 (Comprehensive) facility with state-of-the-art features to enhance healthcare delivery to residents.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, on Wednesday, signed the $660 million contract and broke ground for the expansion works.

The project is being undertaken as part of a $10 billion investment by the Government in the development of health infrastructure across the parish under the Health Systems Strengthening Programme (HSSP).

The programme is a collaborative effort supported by international partners, including the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the European Union (EU).

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton (second left), and General Manager of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, Junyi Wang (second right), sign the contract for the $660 million expansion of the Greater Portmore Health Centre.

Dr Tufton said that the Greater Portmore Health Centre expansion project will be a “game changer” in primary health care delivery.

It will provide dedicated spaces for x-ray, oral rehydration, laboratory, isolation, asthma treatment, diabetic retinopathy, physiotherapy, among other specialty treatment areas.

It will also include an administrative department with office spaces, training areas, a conference room, staff lounge, nurses’ station and lunchrooms.

The contract sum entails construction cost and equipment installation upon completion.

Dr Tufton said that the project is an investment in the people of Portmore.

“We must ensure that we give all the critical support to ensure that the project is successful, because ultimately it is being spent for this community,” he noted.

(From left) St Catherine South Eastern MP Robert Miller; Country Representative for the IDB, Natacha Marzolf; and EU Ambassador to Jamaica, Dr Erja Askola at the groundbreaking ceremony for the $660 million upgrade of the Greater Portmore Health Centre.

He said that the project was designed to ensure a more comfortable working environment for the health staff.

“Doctors, nurses and support staff have to be more comfortable in their environment. We expect a greater level of productivity, that more patients will be seen in a shorter space of time,” Dr Tufton said.

Member of Parliament for St Catherine North, Fitz Jackson, welcomed the expansion project, noting that it will satisfy the “growing needs and demands” in the community.

Country Representative for the IDB, Natacha Marzolf, in her remarks, noted the critical link between quality healthcare and economic development.

She said that the expansion of the Greater Portmore Health Centre will ensure that residents can access more high-quality health services in one location.

For her part, EU Ambassador to Jamaica, Dr Erja Askola, noted that Jamaica is on a path of making healthcare available to all in the best facilities.

She said that the HSSP is about ensuring that “health workers have the tools and resources” to deliver quality care.

Other projects being undertaken in St Catherine under the HSSP include the redevelopment of the Spanish Town Hospital and upgrading of the St Jago Park and Harbour health centres.

— JIS