More improvements being made at Hanover Infirmary

Western Bureau:

Improvements to the facilities and environment for the 43 residents and staff at the Hanover Infirmary are ongoing, with the opening of a therapeutic park at that facility, and ground broken for the construction of a matron’s quarters, also at the facility.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, along with Desmond McKenzie, minister of local government and community development, was head of a delegation of officials from the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, local health department and the Hanover Municipal Corporation, that were on hand for a ceremony to mark the official opening of the therapeutic park and ground-breaking for the construction of the quarters.

In his address, McKenzie pointed out that in recent years the government has spent in excess of $260 million on improvement works at the infirmary, with an additional $20 million to be spent for the construction and furnishing of the matron’s quarters.

The therapeutic park was built at a cost of approximately $5 million, and is the seventh to be built at an infirmary on the island.

“The construction of the matron’s quarters is very significant, because what this will do is to allow the matron, who is always on 24-hour call, to be on-site, so that if anything happens she can respond in a timely manner, and give the kind of support that is required,” he stated, adding that the money is in place and procurement process complete with construction of the quarters set to start in short order.

He commended the leadership of the matron of the facility, Kayon Dyer, noting that she has made it into one of the best infirmaries in the country.

Turning his attention to the therapeutic park, he argued that it would bring comfort to the residents at the facility in the evenings, noting, “they can come out, they can sit and enjoy the fountain and the beautiful lights that adorn the fountain; they can even have their own little picnic, using the gazebo”.

The local government minister went on to outline the many improvements that have taken place at the Hanover Infirmary over recent years, which include the construction and equipping of a laundry and a kitchen, purchasing of new mattresses, hiring a dietician and a physiotherapist, among others.

Holness, in his address, pointed out that Hanover is on his policy development radar, while disclosing several planned initiatives and improvement projects being considered.

“Yes, there are problems. Yes, a lot of people don’t have water, a lot of people don’t have roads, but we must never lose sight of the fact that a lot of things are happening,” he stated.

Turning his attention to the therapeutic park, the prime minister, while describing it as a “lovely” facility, said it was aimed at improving the quality of life of the residents at the infirmary.

“We have opened up this lovely therapeutic park in the infirmary, the place designated to deal with the poorest of the poor, who are destitute and have no one to take care of them. We are making sure that we do not just stick them into a four-by four-and leave them, that we spend to improve their quality of life,” he stated.

He noted that the move to build the matron’s quarters was aimed at improving the administration and the life of the people who reside in the infirmary.

Bryan Miller