Tufton: Health centres to ‘build back smarter’
Published:Saturday | February 28, 2026 | 12:05 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The Ministry of Health & Wellness is moving into the second phase of post-Hurricane Melissa reconstruction, with more than 100 damaged health centres across western Jamaica set to undergo structural assessments aimed at rebuilding stronger and more climate-resilient facilities.
Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said Cabinet has approved the engagement of engineering firms to evaluate 105 health centres impacted by the hurricane and determine whether they should be rebuilt, reinforced or expanded.
“We are now in what we consider to be phase two of the reconstruction,” Tufton said, noting that the assessments will guide medium- to long-term infrastructure planning across the affected parishes.
In St James, 24 primary health centres serve communities, but five – John’s Hall, Spring Mount, Garland, Lottery and Roehampton – are not operating from their original structures due to significant storm damage.
Roehampton was destroyed and is being considered for relocation and reconstruction on new lands, with plans for a larger facility. The other centres suffered major roof loss and water damage.
To bridge the gap, the parish has deployed mobile health units into affected communities, in some cases daily, in others several times per week.
“Clearly it’s a temporary arrangement, but it is working,” Tufton said.
Nineteen of the parish’s health centres are fully functional.
The minister said the rebuilding effort will be guided by the Government’s Smart Health Facility standards – a construction model developed in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization and the United Kingdom Government – designed to withstand hurricane-force winds and incorporate features such as water catchment systems and backup power generation.
Facilities built under those standards, including the Mandeville and Santa Cruz health centres, remained operational during the hurricane.
The engineering assessments will determine whether damaged centres should be reconstructed entirely, structurally reinforced or expanded, with the intention of applying Smart Health standards across the system.
In addition, three hospitals – Black River, Falmouth and Noel Holmes – are being evaluated to determine whether they should remain at their current coastal locations or be relocated to safer grounds.
Tufton also urged Jamaicans to return to their health centres, noting that attendance has dropped by as much as 20 per cent since the hurricane.
“Our disease profile is driven largely by chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes,” he said. “If persons stop taking their medication or stop seeing their doctors, those conditions can worsen and end up in A&E.”