Gov’t touts $23.5b CRH overhaul; Opposition slams delays and PR spin

WESTERN BUREAU:

As the eight-year, multibillion-dollar rehabilitation of Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) nears completion, the Government is touting progress while the Opposition voices deep frustration over delays and ballooning costs.

Speaking at the reopening of the Montego Bay-based hospital’s administrative block on Thursday, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton confirmed the project’s updated cost at $23.5 billion. This figure includes general consumption tax (GCT), equipment upgrades, and the relocation of some services.

“It has taken time for us to get here with CRH, and the journey has not been without challenges, but we are doing it right,” said Tufton. “Doing it right means that, as a Government and a ministry responsible for the health and wellness of the population, including the people of western Jamaica, we have taken the necessary time, allocated the required financial resources, and engaged the appropriate expertise to comprehensively and sustainably address the rehabilitation of one of the country’s main hospitals,” he said.

The extensive restoration effort began after patients and staff reported noxious fumes in 2016 and 2017. Originally projected at $2 billion in 2018, the project’s cost has since ballooned nearly 12-fold.

The project is scheduled for completion by April 15, 2026.

Tufton dismissed claims of cost overruns, stating that what critics call overruns were actually necessary adjustments.

“The rescoping of the project allowed [us] ... to address the root cause of the problems and not just to simply put a Band-Aid on it,” he said.

However, Senator Janice Allen, of the opposition People’s National Party, is not convinced. She criticised the prolonged delays and ballooning budget, accusing the Government of prioritising public relations over patient care.

“After eight years and a cost jump from $2 billion to [$23] billion, what the people of western Jamaica deserve is healthcare, not headlines,” said Allen. “The opening of an administrative wing does nothing to restore the critical services patients have been waiting for, for years”

Allen emphasised that what’s needed are staffed wards, equipment, and better access to care – not just “ribbon-cutting for office space”.

Tufton’s current estimate is $2.1 billion more than his February 2024 projection. Still, he insists the investment is worthwhile and that care has continued despite the ongoing construction.

“The rehabilitation of the CRH has been a long journey, peppered by setbacks and uncertainties, but we have persisted, and we are on the final stretch,” the minister said.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com

Key dates

• September 2016: Concerns arise about noxious fumes from CRH’s ventilation system, resulting in its accident and emergency department being vacated.

• February 2017: More concerns result in several other departments being evacuated. PAHO says fibreglass particles from the ventilation system were the cause of the fumes.

• January 2018: Mould is removed from the hospital’s eighth, ninth, and 10th floors. Arrangements are made to relocate boiler from basement to external building.

• August 1, 2018: Health ministry appoints oversight committee for the restoration work.

• September 2020: Oversight committee says the COVID-19 pandemic could delay restoration until as far as 2022.

• January 14, 2021: Opposition Spokesman on Health Dr Morais Guy says restoration could take between $10 billion and $12 billion.

• November 18, 2021: Tufton signs contract with engineering firm M&M Jamaica to continue restoration.

• February 10, 2022: $5.8 billion is announced as the new price tag for CRH’s completion.

• November 2023: Project’s completion date was revised to 2026.

• October 9, 2024: Tufton announces phased reopening to begin between November and December 2024.