Bellevue to undergo major repairs
THE Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital is to undergo major repairs of damage to three wards caused by the passage of Hurricane Dean last year.
The project is being funded through a close to $35 million grant from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) to reduce health risks after Hurricane Dean. The rehabilitation work is the second component of the two-pronged project and more that 50 per cent of the grant will be spent on the project. The first component is vector control in terms of prevention of post-disaster outbreak of vector borne disease.
Dr Ernest Pate, PAHO representative to Jamaica, said three major wards – the Villa Ward, Ward A and Ward H Annex – will be repaired. All 60 patients in the Villa Ward had to be relocated.
The roof and the porch of the Villa Ward will be fixed, while the roof, porch and nurses’ dormitory of Ward A will be repaired. Additionally, the roof of the Ward H Annex will be fixed. Dr Pate, who was speaking during the launch of the project at the hospital in Kingston Tuesday, also noted that when the roofs are repaired they will be able to withstand a category four storm.
“We will be rehabilitating the three major wards and ensuring that we not only replace the roof, but get it back to a functioning stage,” he said, adding that damaged equipment will also be repaired. “When the work is complete the hospital should be in a better condition and have more space for patients and better conditions for the staff to work under.”
Hugh Porter, CEO of Bellevue, while expressing gratitude for the work to be done, said it was greatly needed.
“We have waited for this project for a long time and we are extremely grateful,” he said.
Ambassador Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni, head of the European Commission in Jamaica urged that the project, which is slated to be completed by March 14, should be finished in a timely manner.
“We hope that it is completed in time because from what we can see today it is much needed,” he said, adding that the EU has more in store in terms of aid for Jamaica. “This is just the first step of our intervention post Hurricane Dean. More is to come.”
Meanwhile, Health Minister Ruddy Spencer in expressing thanks for the donation, said the government cannot afford the $6 billion price tag for the rehabilitation of health facilities islandwide and so any assistance is welcomed.
“The government cannot foot the bill on its own and is interested in working with funding partners and indeed our private sector to finance this rehabilitation programme,” he said. “The ministry has spent some $1.8 billion in the last 18 months on new construction and rehabilitation.”
He said, however, that there is a need for an aggressive programme that will make a major impact on improving the quality of service delivery at both the primary and secondary health care levels.
“This rehabilitation work that will be carried out at the Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital falls within the ambit of our quest to do more for those who can least do for themselves,” he said. “The European Commission Humanitarian Department is to be commended for seeking to focus on those who are sometimes the periphery of the socio-economic spaces and on the margins of health policy and service delivery.”