Ainsley Walters, Gleaner Writer

THE Church, in all its varied denominations, has no doubt played an invaluable role in establishing first-class health and educational institutions across the length and breadth of Jamaica.

Among these noble institutions of wellness and learning stands Andrews Memorial Hospital, at 27 Hope Road, St Andrew.

It had its humble beginnings in 1910, started by the Jamaica Seventh-day Adventist Conference as 'massage and hydropathic treatment rooms' in Kingston.

At the start of the 20th century, Jamaica had become the centre of adventist activities in the Caribbean. After being received in the fellowship by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists at its 35th meeting in Oakland, California, in March 1903, rapid church growth followed in Jamaica.

As such, demand for a hospital by the burgeoning denomination was met in 1944 with establishment of the Andrews Memorial Hospital and Missionary Clinic.

What started as massage and hydropathic treatment rooms in 1910 has grown, 100 years after, into one of the top private hospitals in Jamaica, described as "a gift from the church" by its assistant administrator, Homer McKenzie.

A pioneer

McKenzie explained that the Seventh-day Adventist Church no longer runs Andrews Memorial Hospital, which broke new ground this year by being the first private health-care institution in the island to have an intensive-care unit, which is soon to come on stream.

"The only other facilities in Jamaica that have intensive care is the government hospitals. Andrews pioneered this," McKenzie pointed out.

"We had problems placing patients in government institutions for intensive care because there's an intense shortage of intensive-care beds in Jamaica. We decided we would fill that need and offer the service to the niche market," he said.

It was such thinking that led to a 'separation' of church and hospital in 2005 with Andrews Memorial now operating as a limited-liability company.

"I would describe the hospital as church-founded and (church)-based because we finance our own operations," McKenzie explained.

"When it was founded, the church was main contributor to financing, but now we're funding the entire operation with minimal subsidy from the Church," he said.

Having severed the umbilical cord 95 years later, McKenzie said the hospital, the oldest private institution of its kind in Jamaica, needed corporate leadership to keep pace.

"We wanted to create a situation where, at the board level, not only church people are there, but people from the marketplace with experience to contribute to the business side of the organisation. The shift is we have more business people onboard with requisite skills than pastors," he pointed out.

Additions to come

That move has led to Andrews better managing its cutting-edge medical services, which include CT scans, ultrasound, liptotriptor, surgery, maternity care, dental care and a pharmacy.

McKenzie said Andrews will soon add two additional operating theatres, bringing its complement to four, under a relationship with its 'sister' institution, Florida Hospital, the biggest hospital in the United States.

"We have a sister relationship with Florida Hospital, a major new development we just signed in August. We hope to benefit from equipment, supplies and training of staff."

Although fully commercial, McKenzie said Andrews Memorial measures up well with other private institutions in costs.

"We're competitive," he said. "When you compare hospitals, the only two you can compare in Kingston are Tony Thwaites and Andrews. Our fees are relatively the same. They beat us on some, we beat them on some.

"Andrews is not into the business of making a large amount of profit to pay shareholders. Andrews is a gift to Jamaica from the Church. We try to make enough money to buy equipment and renovate the place. It's not a partnership or corporation that makes money for shareholders."