Annotto Bay Hospital To Be Upgraded – Government spending $180M
June 16, 2020Minister of Health Dr. Christopher Tufton (second left), participates in the ground-breaking ceremony. Also participating are (from left): Managing Director of Otiga Engineers Douglas Bowes, Member of Parliament Dr. Norman Dunn, Regional Director with the health ministry Fabia Lamm, and Health Promotion and Public Relations Manager at the NHF Shermaine Robotham. Photo: Donald De La Haye
The Government is investing $180 million to improve services at the Annotto Bay Hospital in St. Mary with the construction of a new laboratory and physiotherapy building.
Speaking at the ceremony to break ground on June 12, Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton, said the facility is going to ‘transform the services that we offer here’.
Construction is slated to last for 14 months.
“We must ensure that we spread the development, so that if people know that they get good services in Annotto Bay because there is a hospital there and all the critical services, then people are going to settle here and the quality of life is going to be as anywhere else,” the minister said.
He told the audience that he and his team at the ministry have been very careful in looking at gaps in the health system and have developed a plan to create a level of “quality access”, so that people can be served without making long treks to the capital city for health services.
The new building will also house a blood bank, a conference room, and the office of the Senior Medical Officer (SMO).
Meanwhile, the minister lauded the work of the medical team in the parish for its efforts in containing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), especially during the recent quarantining of three communities in the area.
Financing for the new building is provided by the National Health Fund (NHF).
Member of Parliament for South East St. Mary, Dr. Norman Dunn, said the residents stand to benefit from improved healthcare with the addition of the new facility.
He also offered commendations to the health workers in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the parish.
-JIS
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