Jamaica investing heavily in health sector

By Latonya Linton

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Government senator, Abka Fitz-Henley, says the government has been working assiduously and making gains in improving service delivery in the health sector.

He noted that more than $14 billion has been invested in upgrading western Jamaica’s premier medical care institution, the Cornwall Regional Hospital, and more than $6 billion on expansion work at several other facilities, including the Spanish Town Hospital and the University Hospital of the West Indies.

“[This] administration… has pumped millions of dollars into building type-five clinics across the country, including at Payne Land, and to assist the good people of Portmore, our soon-to-be parish number 15. We are upgrading approximately a dozen clinics across the country because we care about the level of comfort of the citizens of Jamaica,” senator Fitz-Henley said, closing the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on February 2. He further mentioned the construction of the Western Children Adolescent Hospital in St James, which is being funded by the governments of Jamaica and the People’s Republic of China.

Senator Fitz- Henley noted that the ministry of health and wellness has launched a Compassionate Care Programme in hospitals islandwide. “This programme is geared towards enhancing the psychological wellness of patients and, importantly, seeks to decrease waiting time,” he said.