KINGSTON, Jamaica — A little over $1billion has so far been spent on the Government’s CODE CARE programme that was implemented to reduce the backlog of elective surgeries in the country, according to Health and Wellness Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton.

Tufton, gave a breakdown of the spending in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, as he responded to questions from the Opposition spokesman on health, Dr Morais Guy.

Tufton shared that $80 million was spent to rehabilitate operating theatres; $200 million for public-private engagement; $223 million on equipment; $279 million for nursing mission; $154 million for additional staff hours (overtime); $23.5 million for project management; and $59 million on the communications component.

CODE CARE, which was first announced by Tufton in May 2021, is aimed at significantly reducing the backlog of elective surgeries in public hospitals that was made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tufton told the House that the programme was designed to reduce the wait time for elective surgeries to less than 180 days and to increase the number of surgeries conducted over the same period by at least 80 per cent. The overall target is 2,000 surgeries over 12 months.

The Minister listed the five components of CODE CARE as:

-Operating theatre/rehabilitation,

-Public/private partnership which facilitates the use of private operating theatres

-Procurement of surgical equipment and supplies

-Staffing for increased surgeries and operations

-Project management as a special programme design to reduce wait time.

Tufton told Guy that $200 million was budgeted for the public-private surgical partnership component of the programme for financial year 2022/23. And he said three contracts totalling $23 million each, were entered into with three health facilities in the western end of the island. The three are Montego Bay Hospital and Urology Centre, Hospiten and GWest Corporation.

The Minister said the Health and Wellness Ministry was currently negotiating with health facilities “on this side of the island”.

He also disclosed that each of the expected 1,200 hernia surgeries that are being outsourced under CODE CARE will cost $270,000. Additionally, he expects 400 surgeries for fibroids as well as plastic surgeries which he explained are corrective surgeries for, among others, accident and burn victims.

“This is the plan for CODE CARE but it is subject to some adjustments based on the needs, the demands and where we get in the programme at any particular point in time,” Tufton said.