ST JAMES, Jamaica- New residents to infirmaries across the island will benefit from a raft of added initiatives next month, according to Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Desmond McKenzie.

“We have made new initiatives in our infirmaries. We brought in dieticians, so it means that the residents of these infirmaries will have the benefit of proper meals. You can’t just throw the salt pork inna the pot and give them any longer,” McKenzie said during a day of care for members of St James’ homeless community.

“Dieticians are there to determine what they eat and you find that the residents [will] feel much more comfortable because they are eating healthier meals. We have brought physiotherapists into the infirmaries because once they are there, they lie down on the bed and they sit down, so you need somebody to work you out.”

Noting that no infirmary will be left out, McKenzie stated that the Government intends to properly care for the homeless community.

“Every infirmary across Jamaica has benefitted from this programme. We are going to be building out a brand new kitchen to serve the residents and every parish in Jamaica will benefit from allocation where meals will be prepared at least twice a day,” he said.

“Just a few weeks ago we opened the transitional centre in Kingston, first of its kind. We are committed that every parish in Jamaica will have a transitional centre for persons who will need the services.”

The 300-plus individuals waiting for admittance into infirmaries will have to meet stringent conditions before being allowed admission, according to McKenzie.

“Each person who will apply for consideration will have to be fully vaccinated, they will have to have a COVID test done prior to entering the facility. They will be placed in isolation for whatever period the isolation lasts for and after they have finished the isolation, they will take one more COVID test and once they have passed that, they will be admitted to the infirmary,” McKenzie explained.

“We are still going to be limiting visits to the facility because we are not yet out of COVID and we still have to protect those persons within our infirmaries who find themselves in the vulnerable category of Jamaicans,” he added.

“All the support that is necessary, we are providing. Many of you are persons who have made contributions to Jamaica, some of you used to pay your taxes…but you fall on hard times and it is our responsibility to ensure that we provide for you.”

With Montego Bay being home to the second largest homeless population across the island, McKenzie noted that work is being done to tackle this chronic issue.

“We just spent, two years ago, close to $50 million building new facilities at the infirmary which we are going to provide further funds [for] furniture, so that the next time I come back I will be opening the new wing of the St James infirmary. We don’t just talk about doing for the people, we have been providing substantial support for the persons living on the streets,” said the minister.

The parish’s poor and destitute will also be provided for through a partnership with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Economic, Growth and Job Creation, McKenzie stated.

“We are going to be tackling the question of social housing in St James. We are aiming to build…some 15 social houses targeted for St James in this financial year,” he said.

-Rochelle Clayton