Tufton expects Melissa-damaged western hospital buildings to be repaired by next month

WESTERN BUREAU:

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says he is hopeful that the hospitals in western Jamaica, which took a battering from Hurricane Melissa, will be restored by the end of January, easing the current need for field hospitals at the affected sites.

Speaking with The Gleaner on Tuesday, Tufton said repair work is currently being undertaken at the Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth; Noel Holmes Hospital in Hanover; Falmouth Public General Hospital in Trelawny; and Savanna-la-Mar Public Hospital in Westmoreland, which all sustained varying degrees of damage from the Category 5 hurricane.

“The work is being done as we speak on all the affected hospitals. We are hoping that, by January, or the end of January, the main buildings can function more than they are now,” said Tufton, who did not provide a projected cost for the proposed work.

“For the Black River Hospital, significant work is being done to re-roof the main building, and beams are being constructed to reinforce it. The field hospital was relocated to that compound, but the contractors are on site and they are aiming to complete that process by the end of the year,” continued Tufton.

Extensive flooding

“The same kind of work is ongoing for Falmouth and Noel Holmes hospitals, and with Savanna-la-Mar hospital, the contractors are constructing the new outpatient area, which was destroyed, as well as addressing some of the roofing issues. All of them are also looking at some housing issues to be addressed,” he added.

During the passage of Hurricane Melissa, the Black River Hospital suffered extensive flooding and roof damage, including to its administrative block, while the Savanna-la-Mar and Noel Holmes hospitals had sections of their roofs torn off. Falmouth Hospital suffered extensive damage to several areas on its compound, to include its accident and emergency (A&E) department, the male ward and kitchen. The maternity ward experienced significant flooding.

To compensate for the services which were impacted as a result of the hurricane, all four hospitals were given the support of field hospitals to help manage patient care as repair works began.

Tufton had previously told an online press conference on December 11 that restoration work specifically for the western hospitals’ operating theatres could be completed by February 2026, at a projected cost of US$7.1 million. That announcement was made following an assessment of 13 operating theatres in the western region, which was left with only three fully functional operating theatres.

Additionally, discussions are to be held with the Inter-American Development Bank as to whether the Black River, Noel Holmes, and Falmouth hospitals will need to be relocated from their current coastal sites to more suitable locations.

Sections of the Cornwall Regional Hospital, which is currently undergoing a multi-billion dollar rehabilitation, stemming from noxious fumes and other structural issues dating back to 2017, also sustained roof damage during the passage of the hurricane. Like the other four hospitals, the affected roof has since been repaired.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com