Old Harbour Open House and Exhibition offers peek into new health centre

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton will deliver the main address at the event which begins at 10:00 am at the Lions Civic Centre, in the nation’s fastest growing township.

The event is open to members of the public.

The Old Harbour Open House and Exhibition will feature the Old Harbour Health Centre and other facilities to be upgraded in St. Catherine under the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ health systems strengthening programme funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and European Union (EU).

The facilities include the 70-year-old Spanish Town Hospital, the St Ann’s Bay Hospital and May Pen Hospital. Ten health centres across the country will be rehabilitated as well, namely Greater Portmore, Old Harbour, St Jago Park, St Ann’s Bay, Brown’s Town, Ocho Rios, May Pen East, May Pen West, Mocho and Chapelton.

Stakeholders as well as local residents will have the opportunity to experience planned and ongoing improvements and to have their questions answered.

A total of US$50 million IDb loan has been earmarked for the health systems strengthening programme, with the EU supporting with a €$10 million grant.

The programme has the organisation and consolidation of integrated health services networks and the improvement of management, quality and efficiency of health services as its two principal components.

Under the programme the introduction and implementation of an information systems for health – including remote patient monitoring, e-prescription and electronic health record will be standardised so that the public health sector can respond efficiently to emerging challenges brought on by non-communicable diseases, mosquito-borne viruses and global pandemics such as the novel coronaviruses.

Work on the Old Harbour Health Centre is projected to break ground in during the latter half of 2023.