New Old Harbour Health Centre reaches halfway mark

The developments are part of the ministry’s ambitious Health System Strengthening and Modernisation Programme (HSSP), funded primarily by a major investment grant from the European Union and the Inter-American development Bank (IDB). 

Despite recent challenging weather, contractors are pushing forward to meet promised deadlines. “Our contractors and their teams are working day and night to ensure we complete the buildings in the timelines that we promised you,” a HSSP update stated.

The most advanced of the three projects is the brand-new Old Harbour Health Centre, which is currently reported to be 47% complete. Not far behind are the Greater Portmore and St. Jago Park Health Centres, which are both being expanded and are each just over 40% complete. The combined investment in these three facilities totals over J$2 billion.

Major Projects Progress Across the Island

The update also provided progress reports on other critical health infrastructure projects underway across the island.

In Spanish Town, work on a new six-storey building is progressing, with the project now just over 15% complete. The second phase of the foundation is nearly finished. To minimize disruption to the busy town centre and nearby medical facilities, the next major concrete pour has been scheduled for this coming Sunday.

Furthermore, the ministry has announced that work will soon begin on several other new buildings. Following recent ground-breaking and contract signings, new facilities are slated for the May Pen Hospital Outpatient Department, the Ocho Rios Health Centre, and the Brown’s Town Health Centre.

“We’ve been working closely behind the scenes with the contractors as they prepare their crews,” the ministry noted. With kick-off meetings currently underway, the public can expect to see construction activity begin at these sites in the coming weeks.

The continued progress on these projects signals a significant step forward in the government's plan to modernize and strengthen Jamaica’s public health infrastructure.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has been provided with financial support from the IDB for the project, ‘Support for Health Systems Strengthening Programme for the Prevention and Care Management of NCDs’.

The programme has as its objectives to ‘improve the health of Jamaica’s population by strengthening comprehensive policies for the prevention of NCD risk factors and for the implementation of a chronic care model with improved access to strengthened and integrated primary and hospital services networks that provide more efficient and higher quality care’.

The programme is being implemented at a time when one in three Jamaicans have hypertension; one in eight are living with diabetes; and one in two are overweight or obese – a known risk factor for NCDs, including cancer and respiratory disease.

Further, four out of every 10 Jamaicans are expected to suffer from a mental illness over the course of their life time while the suicide rate is approximately 2.1 / 100,000 with statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force showing between 47 and 56 deaths per year due to suicide over the last three years.