KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund has reaffirmed its commitment to revolutionising public healthcare in Jamaica with strategic investments in specialised medical services and infrastructure.

One of the latest initiatives, the proposed establishment of a state-of-the-art Nephrology Centre of Excellence at St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital, is set to transform care for patients suffering from kidney disease across the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA).

Driven by a vision for nationwide impact, the CHASE Fund hopes the facility will be the first in a national network of specialised kidney care centres islandwide— one in each of Jamaica’s four regional health authorities.

CHASE Fund Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Wilford Heaven, said the 40-chair facility is being established through a partnership with NERHA and the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

He noted that the initiative will significantly improve diabetic care and dialysis services, describing it as a timely intervention in response to the alarming prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), particularly along Jamaica’s north coast.

The CHASE Fund utilised national mapping and epidemiological data to identify Jamaica’s north coast as a critical hotspot for CKD.

The centre will serve not only St Ann, but also Portland and St Mary, parishes where renal services remain significantly under-resourced.

“When you look at the prevalence of chronic kidney disease, you’ll see in that area on the north coast… when you look at the mapping and the scatter diagram… [that] it is really a cluster that you see there. So we used that to identify the location of the site for this nephrology centre,” Heaven explained.

“Chronic kidney disease is rising, and with an ageing population, the burden is only growing,” the CEO said, adding that the Centre of Excellence “is a direct response to the data, and we are taking action where the need is most urgent”.

With rising rates of diabetes and hypertension, two leading causes of CKD, the fund is positioning Jamaica to proactively manage one of its most pressing public health challenges.

“Our role is to anticipate the country’s needs, not just respond to crises. This nephrology centre is a step in the right direction, and we hope that it will be one of many more to come, because the goal of CHASE is to have one to start with in each health region” he said.

— JIS