A proposal to build a private hospital in Portmore has resurfaced after nearly two decades, but the latest attempt has once again run into regulatory hurdles.

Cayjam Development Limited, the company behind the planned Private International Hospital of Cayman (PIHC), recently reapplied for permission to construct and operate the facility in Naggo Head, St Catherine. The application, which dates back to at least 2009, appeared among decisions coming out of the National Environment and Planning Agency’s (NEPA) March 17 board meeting.

But it did not get far.

NEPA refused the environmental permit, citing insufficient information to process the application, effectively stopping the project before it could move deeper into the approval stage.

“The information submitted is insufficient to process the application,” NEPA said in its latest decision report.

The decision brings back into focus a development that once carried big ambitions for Jamaica’s private health care space but never moved beyond the drawing board.

When it was first introduced in the late 2000s, the PIHC was positioned as a large-scale medical facility designed to serve both local patients and visitors. Planning documents at the time outlined a 120-bed hospital on more than 100 acres in Naggo Head, with the project tied to a wider mixed-use concept. The proposal spoke to job creation during construction and even accommodation for thousands of medical students once completed.

The site was deliberately chosen. Portmore was already growing quickly, and the project was pitched as a way to tap into that expanding population while also linking Jamaica to the medical tourism market.

Despite that early push, the development stalled and, for years, slipped out of public conversation.

Its reappearance now comes at a very pivotal moment for Portmore.

The municipality has continued to grow, with housing developments spreading deeper into areas like Bernard Lodge and surrounding communities. Government-backed projects are adding new units, while smaller parcels within established neighbourhoods are being turned into housing by private developers, tightening the use of available land.

That growth has brought renewed attention to public services, especially health care.

The Government has moved to advance plans for a public hospital in Portmore, with Bernard Lodge now identified as the location after years of discussion about the need for a facility in the area. The move comes as preparations continue for Portmore’s transition to parish status, adding pressure to expand critical infrastructure.

— Karena Bennett