Two COVID-19 field hospitals to be completed by end of January

The field hospitals that are being erected on the grounds of the Falmouth Public General Hospital, in Trelawny, and at St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Centre, in Kingston, are slated to be completed by end of January.

This was reported by permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dunstan Bryan, during a virtual press conference on Saturday, January 2, at the ministry’s office in Kingston.

“We had significant delays because of the rain…and because of the nature of the material and the work that is being done, we were not able to proceed with the implementation until the weather changed, so we have been given assurances that they will be completed by end of January,” he said.

The two 36-bed facilities are among four field hospitals being established across the island to provide 152 additional bed spaces to facilitate the treatment of persons with the novel coronavirus.

A 40-bed facility will be based at the Mandeville Regional Hospital, in Manchester, while the other 40-bed field hospital has already been set up at the National Chest Hospital in the Corporate Area.

The two 36-bed facilities are being built at a cost of approximately $199 million by Rogers Land Development Limited.

Both hospitals will have the necessary health infrastructure, equipment and personnel to respond to COVID-19.

JIS