Land identified for construction of new KPH
Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton says lands have been identified for the construction of a new Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).
During his sectoral debate presentation in Parliament today, Tufton stated that the lands identified are for lease to purchase.
“The facility [KPH], which opened its doors in 1776, and which currently boasts 484 beds, has been plagued by challenges due to the age of the plant and poor maintenance,” Tufton said.
He revealed that a land use survey report was prepared on the properties around KPH, inclusive of the 35 parcels identified and that the National Land Agency is coordinating the compulsory acquisition of the required lands.
He stated that more information will be shared about the development in the future.
“We have to now focus on KPH while we learn the lessons from the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH). That’s the sensible approach and as a government we intend to do just that,” he said.
The eight-year-long rehabilitation of the CRH has been a major hurdle for the Health Ministry, plagued by budget overruns and other challenges. Initially projected at $2 billion in 2018, the project's cost has since skyrocketed to a projected $23 billion price tag, with completion now slated for next April.
In his presentation today, Tufton said he regretted the inconveniences caused by the time it has taken to reopen the new CRH, but rejected any notion that this was deliberate.
“All efforts were made to do the right thing and today we are doing the right thing.
“The government has so far spent more than $9.4 billion,” he said. “The much talked about $23 billion price tag is a projection…but we haven’t spent it as yet and we are not there yet. The narrative therefore of criticising cost overrun based on $24 billion dollars, is not only an exaggeration, it is a dishonest description of the challenge that we face at Cornwall Regional.”
The Minister also highlighted renovations taking place at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
“We are in the final stages of procurement and will see the construction of a new six-storey building, 120,000 square feet medical facility, which will accommodate an additional 40 medical and surgical beds; improvements to outpatient or ambulatory surgery, lecture rooms and conference rooms,” he said.
He added: "Together with the Western Child and Adolescents Hospital which is 220 beds...we expect that to be completed sometime this year...these developments should see across the country, more than 450 additional beds being added to the cadre of beds in our country. And in addition to that, we have already added some 338 beds during the COVID period."
-Sashana Small
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