Plans advanced for construction of oxygen plant at May Pen Hospital

Plans are under way for the construction of an oxygen plant at the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon, a Type C facility, and the largest healthcare institution in the parish.

The project is being undertaken in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

This was disclosed by May Pen’s Mayor, Councillor Joel Williams, during Thursday’s sitting of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation. Williams said that plans had been finalised for what he described as a pivotal step for healthcare delivery in Clarendon, noting that the parish had long relied on external suppliers for oxygen, a critical resource in emergency and routine care.

“It is a significant step forward for healthcare in Clarendon, and a true testament to what partnership and progress in action look like,” he said.

Williams asserted that having an oxygen plant on site will enhance the hospital’s capacity to respond to medical emergencies, improve patient care outcomes, and reduce delays that occur when supplies must be transported from outside the parish.

“This facility will enable us in Clarendon to produce and supply our own medical oxygen, not only for our hospitals, but also for neighbouring health facilities,” Williams added.

He noted that the facility will help prevent the kind of system-wide strain seen during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when oxygen shortages severely impacted hospitals nationwide.

“This project will allow us to avoid the hardships we faced during the pandemic when obtaining oxygen was a major challenge,” said Williams.

The oxygen plant forms part of a broader expansion and modernisation push at the May Pen Hospital. In July, ground was broken for a $642-million outpatient facility, which is projected to support increased patient flow, reduce overcrowding, and expand service offerings across the central parish.

-Olivia Brown

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