Cornwall Regional Hospital project rescoping complete- Tufton

 


The upgrade of the Cornwall Regional Hospital, facility first constructed in 1972 is expected to be completed in 2026.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton explains that the price tag of $21 billion – the last assessment- is not a cost overrun, but a result of a rescoping of the needs of the 53-year-old institution.

On Wednesday March 19, Minster Tufton told Caribbean Money Daily, “The CRH project started with an assessment after air quality issues became an issue and was affecting the staff. An initial assessment was done by the Urban Development Corporation and then by UN-Ops and PAHO. The project started with the replacement of air-conditioning which was seen as the source of the contamination.

“That was how the initial estimate ($2.3 billion) came about. Once we started work and moved further into the building we recognised that there was a sick building syndrome which means that the building had significant issues with leaking roofs, wet walls, corroded electricals, corroded plumbing in the walls which was leaking, it was realized that air conditioning replacement would not be sufficient.”

Project managers then embarked on a comprehensive assessment and found that there was a chimney type system in the building that had to be taken out. The basement, roofing all plumbing had to be replaced.

The health Minister outlined, “The building was stripped bare and walls reinforced. what began as an air-conditioning problem morphed and expanded into a complete overhaul. The facility had to be rebuilt. Also in the meantime, we had to look at the infrastructure around Cornwall . We put in temporary buildings for continued services to the community, concerting the nurses building into in-patient care at the back.

“We built out operating theatres in Falmouth for elective surgeries. There were two there which were underutilized ad had deteriorated. We converted Mount Salem clinic into a new accident and emergency and constructed a new diagnostic clinic , putting in place also temporary structures for dialysis. Also incorporated were conversion of the seventh day Adventist clinic next door into an outpatient clinic to see 500 patients each day.

“Basically, we had to build a hospital around the building while we stripped CRH down. All costs are included in this rescoping. It is not a cost overrun; it is a rescoping.”

Cornwall Regional Hospital located in the Mount Salem Montego Bay is the main hospital in western Jamaica. The hospital is operated by the Western Regional Health Authority on behalf of the Ministry of Health in Jamaica.

Construction of Cornwall Regional Hospital was completed in 1972, but the hospital was not opened to the public until May 10, 1974. It is estimated that Cornwall Regional Hospital serves approximately 18,000 out-patients and 73,000 emergency room visits annually.

The CRH is said to be in its final phase of rebuilding and refurbishing which involves installation of medical equipment and apparatus. Also, in the final phase designs are being finalised to incorporate all the internal components in the building. This includes the operating theatres, ward space, Accident and Emergency (A&E) facilities, records, administrative offices, and more. Phased re-occupation started in mid-2024.

Caribbean Money Daily

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