Christopher Tufton | Cornwall Regional Hospital – Doing it right

THE YEARS-LONG road to the rehabilitation of the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) has been paved with challenges, coupled with periodic criticisms from some quarters, and, in particular, from those without a firm grasp of the precise scale of the work being done at the facility.

We are thankful, however, that we have stayed the course, and last Thursday saw the first fruits of our tenacity – with the opening of the completed Administrative Block at the main building, which has been the focus of the rehabilitation efforts.

This Administrative Block, the cost of which is included in the $3.9 billion spent to date on the extensive works done at the main building, has as its key features:

• Improved ventilation and lighting systems;

• Upgraded IT infrastructure to support efficient operations;

• Enhanced accessibility features for staff and visitors; as well as

• Modernised office spaces to promote productivity and staff rejuvenation.

The space is now ‘home’ to the office of the chief executive officer and her team, who will be able to increase their efficiency as they support the medical staff with the provision of accounting, procurement, office management, and general administrative services.

The block features enclosed offices, a kitchenette, restrooms, open offices, as well as reception and waiting areas.

The investment to date also includes the relocation of services, to the tune of some $1.8 billion. By the time works are completed at the hospital by the first quarter of 2026, we would have made a total investment of $23.5 billion, including the cost of equipment and general consumption tax.

Correct path has been pursued to the development and transformation of our health system, including the rehabilitation of the Cornwall Regional Hospital.

It has taken some time to get here; and the journey has not been without challenges – including the need to rescope the project for which additional resources had to be made available. But we are doing it right.

As a Government and ministry, we have taken the needed time, allocated the necessary financial resources and engaged the appropriate expertise to sustainably address the rehabilitation of one of the country’s main hospitals, the neglect of which we inherited from those who came before us.

LEGACY TROUBLES

The rehabilitation of CRH has been peppered by setbacks and uncertainties, but are now on the final lap.

The issues at CRH date back to 2009 and is evidence of the serial neglect to which much of our health infrastructure has been subject. The current administration decided that it was past time for change. The Government continues to work to ensure that the appropriate infrastructure and equipment are in place to meet the population’s shifting healthcare needs.

CONTINUITY OF CARE

Missing from the discourse on Cornwall Regional has been our manifest commitment to safeguard continuity of care for the people of western Jamaica, young and old; and the ingenuity and dedication of the capable staff on the ground who have made it possible.

Accommodations for nurses and doctors were converted to wards, operating theatres and an area to provide dialysis. Where there was insufficient space on existing buildings, temporary structures were erected to provide for accident and emergency, radiotherapy, lab services and support services.

Where insufficient space existed on the property, the ministry engaged with our neighbours the Seventh-day Adventist Church, to provide needed space for outpatient clinics while other hospitals in the region were upgraded and equipped to provide services that could no longer be supported at CRH.

So serious and committed were we to this continuity of care that the ministry invested more than $1.8 billion to ensure that CRH, its outstations and upgraded regional facilities continued to provide uninterrupted life-saving services.

In the last year alone, Cornwall Regional saw some 40,446 visitors to Accident & Emergency; performed 3,101 surgeries; and took in 13,774 admissions. This is an accomplishment for which I pay homage to the team on the ground even as I note my gratitude to the users of the facility for their partnership and patience in helping to make this possible.

THE NEW CRH

We are on course to completing the CRH journey, inching ever closer to the finish line. As such, the coming months will see the continued phased opening of several departments and services. The server room is next in line to be followed by medical records, general stores, and later, dietary services.

Once we get to the finish line on this project, in addition to the services originally offered, the new and expanded 430-bed, 387,500 square-foot facility will have nine operating theatres.

There will also be additional diagnostic services, and an A&E Department that is twice the size of the original, together with a new maternity suite; new and expanded dietary to serve CRH and the Western Child and Adolescent Hospital; a new nursery and Intensive Care Unit, as well as infection prevention and control finishes throughout.

These are together with improved site services, the provision of new technology and new equipment.

I wish to thank the people for their patience and support as we have pursued the completion of this project to provide an upgraded and deserved facility to the people of western Jamaica. This progress, up to now, would not have been possible without that support.

Dr Christopher Tufton is Jamaica’s Minister of Health and Wellness and Member of Parliament for St Catherine West Central. Send feedback to cctufton@gmail.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.