MOUNT SALEM, St James — The opening of the refurbished Accident and Emergency (A&E) department at Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) on Friday was accompanied by an apology from Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness to the people of western Jamaica for the prolonged delay in completing the facility’s $23.5-billion rehabilitation.

Holness acknowledged that the near-decade-long undertaking to rehabilitate the 52-year-old, 10-storey hospital might have been completed more quickly had the Government opted to demolish the structure and build a new facility from the ground up.

“In retrospect, it may have been a quicker operation to have torn down the building and just built it anew. But politically, we’re not certain whether or not the public would have appreciated that. But I can tell you, going forward, the economics is that it is better to just tear down those old buildings and build brand new,” said Holness.

The hospital officially opened on May 10, 1974, following the start of construction in 1968 at a cost of approximately US$12 million and another US$5 million to equip it, through a grant from Canada. Holness argued that in today’s terms, that type of work, plus land acquisition and other expenses, would cost approximately $40 billion.

Project manager for the Cornwall Regional Hospital rehabilitation project Vivian Gordon (right) points out features of the facility’s state-of-the-art equipment to Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness (centre) and Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton at the official opening of the Accident and Emergency department on Friday. (Photo: Anthony Lewis)

He said the 25.9-acre campus on which the upgraded CRH and the under-construction Western Child and Adolescent Hospital (WCAH) sit will be renamed in honour of former chairman of the Jamaica Labour Party and Minister of Health Dr Herbert Eldemire. He also reiterated that the WCAH will bear the name of former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who was instrumental in securing funds from the Chinese for that project.

During his address, the prime minister acknowledge the hardship faced by residents in western Jamaica as the work on CRH dragged on.

“I must, first of all, apologise to the people of the region who have been without their hospital, and for the suffering that it has caused. No doubt, the absence of the hospital would have caused suffering, particularly during COVID. I toured during COVID and I saw the difficulties being experienced both by the service providers and the patients in cramped quarters, in difficult circumstances,” stated Holness.

Pointing out that a large percentage of the 24 hospitals across Jamaica were built before the country’s Independence from Britain in 1962, Holness said he views the Government of Jamaica’s ability to execute major projects like the CRH upgrade as a symbol of the country’s independence.

According to him, all the other sections of CRH will be open to the public by March 2027.

“I leaned over to Minister Tufton to inquire, ‘When will we finally open this hospital fully?’ And he was hesitant in committing to me. But he did say to me that by the end of the fiscal year they would be in a good position to open,” said the prime minister.

Clinical coordinator for the Western Regional Health Authority Dr Delroy Fray expressed delight at the completion and opening of the A&E department.

“Look at what stands before you now: A first-class accident and emergency department. We are handing over a state-of-the-art facility designed for dignity, speed, and comfort. From the moment you present with an emergency, you are seamlessly triaged in a high-efficiency environment,” stated Dr Fray.

The newly renovated facility boasts advanced diagnostic stations and cutting-edge operating theatres for immediate surgical intervention.

“This is not just health care; this is First-World medicine at the absolute highest level — the first of its kind in Jamaica and the entire English-speaking Caribbean,” Dr Fray said.