The tender for the much anticipated Spanish Town Hospital upgrade project will be in the public domain this month, the Minister of Health Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton has advised.

Based on the procurement procedures of the Inter-American Development Bank, “it is anticipated that we should have engaged a contractor by the end of the calendar year and work should commence early in 2023,” Tufton said.

The minister provided the update on Tuesday, during his contribution to the 2022/23 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.

“This investment in Spanish Town will be one of the largest investments that will be made in health facilities in the history of this country,” Tufton boasted.

The investment will realise the creation of a multi-storey facility that will include:

-An accident and emergency wing with ambulatory and ambulance bay, triage and consulting rooms, patient wards and, among other things, lounge and lunch areas;

-A radiology department;

-Pharmacy and outpatient department;

-A surgical floor, and patient wards;

-A basement area that includes staff parking; and

-A sky bridge that links the existing administration and dietary block

And Tufton also provided an update on what he described as “the most significant infrastructure expansion of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in 50 years.”

The work will include the re-routing of the ring road and entrance, and the construction of a six-storey tower to include adolescent psychiatric, surgical and interventional diagnostic along with trauma and urgent care services.

“We will begin the re-routing of the road and gate this year and are now finalising designs for the tower that is to be constructed,” Tufton said.

He said estimated costs for the project is in excess of US$31 million and will form part of US$50 million in funding being provided by the Inter-American Development Bank.

Meanwhile, Tufton provided an update on the problem-plagued Cornwall Regional Hospital, noting that phases 1 and 2A of the rehabilitation programme have been completed at a cost of J$1.3 billion and Phase 2B has commenced and is expected to cost J$1.7 billion.

The works are aimed at remediating structural defects that were present in the building and include the strengthening of structural beams that had begun to deteriorate and the rehabilitation of other support systems to make the building sound.

Tufton informed that the health and wellness ministry also received Cabinet approval for the use of a design and build modality for the implementation of the final phase 3, which will see the complete restoration of the hospital.

“Given the learning curve that we have had to travel on this project, the ministry has strengthened the overall quality assurance function in the project management by contracting a US-based commissioning agent firm that will support the Project Management Unit to ensure value for money and timely delivery of the project,” Tufton said.

He advised that in the interest of transparency, he has appointed a multi-stakeholder group including the St James Chamber of Commerce and the western branch of the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association to receive periodic updates and to provide a citizens’ oversight body to this project. The committee will be chaired by Dr Jeffrey East.

In the meantime, work is to restart on the now long-delayed 250 bed Western Children and Adolescent Hospital. The project was hit with delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tufton said he has been informed by the Chinese Embassy in Kingston that work will begin this year, estimated to start in June. The facility is estimated to cost J$5 billion and the Jamaican Government has allocated J$100 million to recommence work.

“We look forward to the start of the work this year which will offer the only pediatric and adolescent hospital in the Caribbean,” Tufton said.