Health ministry looking to St Joseph's Hospital to help ease overcrowding at UHWI and KPH

The health ministry is discussing a partnership with St Joseph’s Hospital to help manage the issue of overcrowding in two of the main public hospitals amid increasing cases of chronic non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, heart and kidney disease.

The ministry says the issue is affecting two of the nation’s main institutions, the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) and Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).

The UHWI, for example, with its daily admission of some 120 to 150 patients for emergency care, is currently seeing excess numbers in its Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department, particularly for internal medicine patients.

The health ministry says the matter was among those identified for priority action during a tour of the UHWI on Monday by Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton and members of the facility’s clinical leadership.

He said the discussion with St Joseph’s Hospital is part of short-term plans to manage the overcrowding.

“The longer-term plan is to construct a new building here at the University Hospital of the West Indies. We’re well advanced with that. That will bring more bed space, more space for services, which hopefully will allow for a more efficient through-put,” Tufton said.

The hospital will see a total $4.9 billion in upgrades with construction of a six-storey, 120,000 square feet facility and an additional 40 surgical beds.

The phased implementation forms part of the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ secondary care reform for the upgrade of hospital services, expansion of facilities and human resources.

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