Local hospitals get multimillion-dollar laundry rehab
Dec. 3, 2020
The Spanish Town Hospital in St. Catherine is among three of the island’s health facilities that are, in the coming weeks, to have the benefit of laundry areas rehabilitated to the tune of more than $100 million dollars.
The other two benefitting health facilities are the St. Ann’s Bay Hospital and the May Pen Hospital, where work is now 70 per cent and 90 per cent complete respectively. The rehabilitation work at Spanish Town is 80 per cent complete.
Included in the equipment being supplied as part of the contracts for the works are barrier washers; dryers; flat work ironers; topper and tapered legger presses; pump and air compressors; and water heaters.
The rehabilitation work at the three facilities has been made possible through the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Health Systems Strengthening Programme (HSSP). Financed through the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Union, HSSP is designed to tackle the scourge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) while also helping to enhance the overall delivery of care to Jamaicans accessing the public health system.
The programme has as one of its components the organisation and consolidation of integrated health services networks, including the purchase of medical equipment and the improvement of infrastructure for primary health care services.
Among other things, it is to see the introduction and implementation of an information systems for health – including remote patient monitoring and e-prescription – that are to yield benefits, including collaborative care and cost control.
“As I said at the official launch of the HSSP earlier this year, our efforts at the Ministry exemplify a new approach to public health, one that emphasises resilience building and which enables us to efficiently respond to emergent challenges – from NCDs to dengue and now COVID-19,” noted Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton.
“As we take stock of COVID-19 in particular and accept that the existence of a co-morbid condition such as diabetes or hypertension increases the risk of an adverse outcome for those affected by that disease, the programme’s tremendous value to public health is made even clearer,” the Minister added.