CATHERINE HALL, St James — Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says renovation work on sections of Falmouth Public General Hospital in Trelawny, which was damaged by last October’s Hurricane Melissa, is expected to be completed next month and will significantly boost the facility’s bed capacity.

“Come the end of July, we would move patients from the makeshift A&E [Accident and Emergency], which was previously the COVID-19 ward, back into the A&E. They are expected also, come the end of July, to complete the ward. There’s a two or three-floor building that represents the wards. They have slabbed the roof, so the slabbing, of course, means future hurricanes would not impact [the facility], except for surges if water comes across the road from the sea,” explained Tufton.

He also said technicians are currently installing air conditioning units while tilers are expected to start tiling the floor within a week.