Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton, has announced that the Ocho Rios Health Centre, in St. Ann, will be upgraded at a cost of $200 million.
Dr. Tufton said that population growth, and the many, sometimes unexpected, challenges that come with being a healthcare provider in a resort town make it necessary for the expansion. He added that staff workers will, at long last, be given the tools and breathing space to do their jobs in a more effective way, JIS reported. The Health Minister was speaking to health practitioners and other stakeholders at the St. Ann facility, in the centre of the resort town, on Friday, November 11. He said the health centre was built back in the 1960s when the population of the then sleepy fishing village was 20,000 to 25,000. “While the population has expanded… chronic and life-threatening diseases have significantly increased… the infrastructure to support that has not nearly [been] enough, and this Ocho Rios Health Centre… right here in the heart of this tourism mecca where we host so many foreigners to our benefit, is a typical example of that,” Dr. Tufton further pointed out.
-30-
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton, addresses health workers and other stakeholders at a function to announce a $200-million upgrade of the Ocho Rios Health Centre, St. Ann, on Friday, November 11. The event took place at the Ocho Rios Health Centre in the resort town.
JIS/Garwin Davis Photo
