MONTEGO BAY, St James — People’s National Party (PNP) standard bearer for St James Central Senator Janice Allen is convinced the party will be in power when it is time to officially open the Western Children and Adolescent Hospital, which it has repeatedly said it will name in honour of former PNP president and Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.

“The People’s National Party got the funding for that hospital, and we shall open it. And when we open it, it shall be called the Portia Simpson Miller Hospital,” Allen told Comrades at a political rally in Mount Salem, St James, Sunday night.

About a decade ago, the Simpson Miller-led Administration initiated the children’s hospital project through a partnership with the People’s Republic of China. It is located a stone’s throw away from the under-renovation Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) and they will operate in tandem. Both are in Mount Salem.

Allen told supporters at the rally the children’s hospital “was a gift because of Portia Simpson Miller”.

Work began on the 220-bed facility in 2019 under the current Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Administration. Expectations are that it will be completed later this year or early next year, after the looming general elections.

On Sunday night, Allen also took the opportunity to lambast the Government for the length of time it has taken to refurbish CRH.

“I am here to tell you, my Comrades, I’m saying to you, for nine years and $24 billion allocated, we still do not have the Cornwall Regional Hospital,” she stated.

The hospital has been undergoing rehabilitation work since 2017 after an air quality issue led to the discovery of mould.

On Sunday, Allen declared that a PNP government will be one of action.

“We are not here to make false or empty promises,” she declared.

Allen also touched on the issue of affordable housing, an area in which she said previous PNP Administrations had made significant inroads.

“Under the People’s National Party, under PJ Patterson, many persons were relocated from Barnett Lane; they were relocated from Barracks Road; they were relocated from Hart Street to Providence Heights,” she declared.

“PJ Patterson did that in order to break the cycle of poverty, and under the leadership of Mark Golding, with me as your Member of Parliament, it shall happen again,” she vowed.

Allen also took a jab at Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon who a few months ago was forced to halt removal of campaign paraphernalia belonging to her and two other PNP caretakers.

“I will start by asking the mayor of this city, who is so fixated on some little things. He has forgotten to report to you the people, the status of the 76 housing units that were promised to the people of Canterbury,” she said.

“Mister mayor, I am asking you, where are the housing units for the people of Canterbury? $550 million was allocated. I don’t see one key handed over, and I am here to tell you, we are here to fix it,” she thundered to cheering orange-clad supporters.