PM seeks to calm MoBay business community

Western Bureau:

Despite the horrifying crime situation in St James, which has seen 262 murders since the start of the year, Prime Minister Andrew Holness is urging members of the business community not to lose hope, saying he is taking their concerns seriously.

"The business community in Montego Bay is especially sensitive to this reality, but I want to say to the business people who are here that I listen to the radio, I hear your cries and I get all the messages that are sent through all the various channels about your concerns regarding crime in your wonderful city," said Holness, while speaking at Thursday's official opening of GWest Centre at Fairview in the western city.

"I take them seriously and we are doing all that we can, and more, to ensure that we bring this situation under control very quickly," added Holness.

TRANSFORMATION COMING SOON

The prime minister gave a commitment that, through continued partnership with the people, the business community and other stakeholders in Montego Bay, a positive transformation will come sooner than later. He highlighted the

60-day extension to the zone of special operations in Mt Salem as an indication of the commitment to fix the problem.

"This will give more space to our law enforcement to continue their security work and for the social intervention committees to actually start the social intervention projects that will see to a long-lasting, sustained peace in those areas where the zones are," said Holness.

The GWest Centre, which is located in Montego Bay's new commercial hub, is a patient-centric all-inclusive provider of modern, high-quality health care. The 62,000-square-foot multipurpose complex offers a wide range of medical services, such as consultation office, urgent care centre, clinical lab, modern outpatient surgery centre and in-patient centre, among other privately owned medical facilities.

The medical amenities on offer will establish Montego Bay as the premier medical service destination not just in Jamaica, but in the English-speaking Caribbean.

"I believe those of us who live in western Jamaica and those who visit us here deserve to have medical care of the highest standard, and we want to play a role in that," said

Dr Konrad Kirlew, the chairman and managing director of GWest Centre.

The health-care facility is poised to be listed on the Junior market on the Jamaica Stock Exchange shortly.