RESIDENTS in St Ann South Western will have something to smile about as soon as plans are in place to expand and upgrade the Alexandria Hospital in the parish.

The Ministry of Health and the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA) have signed a letter of intent to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Patel Foundation for Global Understanding to expand the services provided at the nearly defunct community hospital.

The project, which will be undertaken in two parts, is expected to involve expansion of the maternity, pharmacy and dental services in the first phase. Laboratory as well as diagnostic X-ray services will also be expanded in the second phase.

Plans to restore the hospital were heavily touted during the 2011 General Election campaign of now Member of Parliament Keith Walford who “spoke to the hospital as one of the priority projects” to be worked on. And, following talks with the Patel Foundation and Mind Body and Soul Ministry the letter of intent was signed.

“Being born and raised in Alexandria, my mother was a matron at the hospital so as a little boy I used to take lunch to her. My father was a patient at that hospital on numerous occasions, so I have a very deep passion for the restoration of the Alexandria Hospital,” the first time MP told the Jamaica Observer following the signing of the MOU earlier this month.

“When you look at the location of it you will see where it has been strategically placed in terms of the distance to St Ann’s Bay. We have so many communities that used to be served and will be served by the restoration of the Alexandria Hospital,” Walford said.

Founder of the Patel Foundation, Dr Kiran Patel, explained that the idea behind expanding the hospital came from a long-time realisation that “health care and education are two fundamental basic requirements for human beings to succeed”.

“I saw an opportunity in Jamaica and the opportunity was unique because you need a Government who is willing to work with you and citizens who will work with you. Just funding a project never works.

If there is a true partnership of the parties that are invested to deliver care then it will work,” Patel said.

“When I visited the facility it had lacked even the basic requirement of any delivery system. If a patient comes to the hospital for some diagnostic procedures he will have to be taken by an ambulance or a private car to some private office, pay significant money, and come back. Naturally what this does is that the patient’s morale is down. Our strategy is to come to a basic care, provide the minimum level of care and take care of 70 to 90 per cent of the average day-to-day problems that a citizen faces.”

Patel said that it is his hope that the first phase of the project will be completed in less than six months, despite the “significant fiduciary responsibilities and rules that constrain the Government”.

According to him, funding for the hospital will primarily come from a public/private partnership along with assistance from the Government.

He explained that, “…the ultimate goals would be to create a private [section] because there are affluent people who will want to spend money. This does not mean that simply because somebody is rich he is not going to get a higher care and somebody who is poor will get poorer care…both the rich and the poor are going to get the same treatment but whether they stay in an air-conditioned room or a general ward that may be different.”

“But the idea here is to encourage the affluent — what I call the Robin Hood theory. Let the rich pay for the care of the poor, but we will not compromise on the quality of care based on the financial conditions. There will be a private wing for persons who can pay,” he added noting that “My job, in my opinion, is improving it [hospital] and to bring it to today’s standard and create a facility that is functional.”

In the meantime, Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson described the plans to upgrade the hospital as “great”, noting that for “many years” residents have been awaiting the restoration of the facility.

“The Patel Foundation [and] Mind Body and Soul Ministry brought to the table new hope for the people of Alexandria backed up with the representation being made by the member of parliament,” Ferguson said.

“What we are about to do is in keeping with the Government’s pursuits of private/public partnership… I do believe with Alexandria up and running, in terms of improved quality of care and expansion of care, it will significantly ease the pressure on St Ann’s Bay Hospital and some of the other centres in and around St Ann. And so I really look forward with great anticipation for this project to be up,” the health minister stressed.