ST JAMES, Jamaica — The Catherine Hall Health Centre in St James, which sustained extensive damage during Hurricane Melissa last October, is set to reopen in two weeks, restoring access to essential services for the community.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, made the disclosure during a tour of the facility on Friday  to get a firsthand look at the progress of the repairs.

“We’ve been working towards getting the furniture in and completing the necessary restoration within two weeks,” he said.

He also visited the Green Pond and Glendevon health centres where remedial works are underway.

At the Green Pond facility, Dr Tufton said that maternal and child health services have resumed, signaling a steady return to normal operations.

He reported that 19 of the 22 health centres in the parish are now functional.

He also noted that there has been a noticeable increase in patient visits to facilities, with usage climbing to over 90 per cent of pre-hurricane levels following an initial decline in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

Tufton urged residents to continue visiting primary healthcare facilities, especially for the management of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension to reduce pressure on hospital emergency departments.

The minister said that with phase one of the restoration in the parish almost complete, with the resumption of health services under the roofs of the existing facilities, focus will now shift to phase two, which will involve more substantial structural repairs to the most severely impacted facilities.

As it relates to healthcare staff, Tufton informed that the process is underway to replace a Cuban nurse who was attached to a primary care facility.

“The Cuban healthcare workers were not as widespread in the parish of St James at the primary care level as in other parishes,” he pointed out.

“So, in the primary care, there was only one, so not much effect there and we continue to provide the service,” he assured.

– JIS