New hospitals to deliver 1,370 beds

Government’s major hospital reconstruction and modernisation programme will deliver approximately 1,370 beds across four new climate-resilient public facilities.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton made the disclosure while delivering a statement in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. The new facilities comprise a 250-bed Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth, a 250-bed Falmouth Public General Hospital in Trelawny, a 150-bed Noel Holmes Hospital in Hanover, and a 720-bed Kingston Public Hospital campus at Orange Street, Kingston.

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Cabinet has approved a partnership between the ministry and the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority to undertake the programme, along with engagement of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to finance the relocation and reconstruction of the hospitals. Tufton said the programme will be guided by the ministry’s secondary-care reform model and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Smart Health Facility standards.