Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, welcomed the progress, as he gave an update on a tour of the facility today.

“So far, the team has finished preparing the site and building the foundation. The main structure is now up, with walls and columns in place,” Tufton said. “The team has finished preparing the site and building the foundation. The main structure is now up, with walls and columns in place. Work has also started on the plumbing and electrical systems, and the roof is 60 per cent complete. The team will now be moving to begin tiling work, and completing the timber roofs.”

The Minister added that finishes, including rendering and plastering, are in progress. “After this, the team will commence activities like the installation of windows and doors, painting, landscaping, and so on,” he told reporters on location.

The project remains on schedule for completion in the first half of this year. Once construction is finished, the HSSP and South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) teams will oversee retrofitting the facility with staff, furniture, modern medical tools, and the Electronic Health Records (EHR) system, e-Care.

Located on East Street in Old Harbour, the 2,000-square-metre facility will replace the existing Type 3 centre that has outgrown its space. The new centre will be equipped to serve up to 10,000 patients per month, offering a wide range of primary healthcare services, including pharmacy, laboratory, ECG, phlebotomy, X-ray, physiotherapy, and screenings for ophthalmology and audiometry. It will also feature dedicated areas for dentistry, mental health, and maternal and child health services.

The project represents an investment of almost JMD 1 billion, covering construction, medical equipment, furniture, and an on-site wastewater treatment plant.

Funding for the construction is primarily provided through the European Union’s grant to the HSSP, while sewage works, furniture and equipment are being procured through the Government of Jamaica investment.

Programme Manager for the HSSP, Orett Clarke, welcomed the progress, as he gave an update on the facility today.

“So far, the team has finished preparing the site and building the foundation. The main structure is now up, with walls and columns in place,” Clarke said. “Work has also started on the plumbing and electrical systems, and the roof is about 60 per cent complete.”

Clarke added that finishes, including rough casting and rendering, have started. “After this, the team will commence activities like the installation of windows and doors, painting, landscaping, and so on,” he said.

The project remains on schedule for completion in the first half of next year. Once construction is finished, the HSSP and South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) teams will oversee retrofitting the facility with staff, furniture, modern medical tools, and the Electronic Health Records (EHR) system, e-Care.

Located on East Street in Old Harbour, the 2,000-square-metre facility will replace the existing Type 3 centre that has outgrown its space. The new centre will be equipped to serve up to 10,000 patients per month, offering a wide range of primary healthcare services, including pharmacy, laboratory, ECG, phlebotomy, X-ray, physiotherapy, and screenings for ophthalmology and audiometry. It will also feature dedicated areas for dentistry, mental health, and maternal and child health services.

The project represents an investment of almost JMD 1 billion, covering construction, medical equipment, furniture, and an on-site wastewater treatment plant.

Funding for the construction is primarily provided through the European Union’s grant to the HSSP, while sewage works, furniture and equipment are being procured through the Government of Jamaica investment.

Portmore, St Catherine – The Ministry of Health & Wellness, through the Health Systems Strengthening Programme (HSSP), today signed contracts and broke ground for the expansion of the Greater Portmore Health Centre in St Catherine, culminating a series of groundbreakings for construction works to improve the healthcare infrastructure in St Catherine.

The latest expansion comes in response to a steady increase in patient visits to the Portmore facility over the years, and the urgent need for larger, more modern facilities. The new 1,252-square-meter building will transform the current Type 3 facility into a Type 5 (comprehensive) primary healthcare centre, providing a wider range of services, including oral rehydration, laboratory services, an isolation room, an X-ray room, treatment and procedure rooms, an asthma bay, diabetic retinopathy screening, and physiotherapy with examination and exercise rooms.

This project represents an investment of JM $660 million, covering construction, equipment, and furnishings. Funding for this is provided primarily by the European Union, as part of their investment grant into the HSSP, with the Government of Jamaica covering the cost of biomedical equipment and furniture. Construction will be undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), with completion expected in 2026.

The expanded facility is designed to reduce the need for Portmore residents to travel to Spanish Town or Kingston for primary healthcare services, significantly enhancing access to high-quality care close to home.

Earlier this year, ground was broken for a new six-story building at the Spanish Town Hospital, also in the parish. In October, the team broke ground for the mobilisation of works on a brand new comprehensive facility for Old Harbour. Two weeks ago ground was broken for the expansion and renovation of St Jago Park Comprehensive Health Centre. Together, along with the implementation of systems to improve efficiency in the facilities, these projects represent an investment of approximately JM $10 billion into the parish’s healthcare infrastructure.

The HSSP, launched in 2018, is committed to improving the management and delivery of healthcare services across Jamaica, with a focus on preventing and managing non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The programme is supported by a US $50 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), USD $87 million in funding from the Government of Jamaica, and the European Union’s USD $10 million grant.

A total of 13 facilities – three hospitals and ten health centres – across the island are benefitting from enhanced infrastructure, information systems and improved processes under the HSSP, which is expected to run until 2029.

This follows the groundbreaking for the construction of a brand new comprehensive Health Centre in Old Harbour a few weeks ago to the tune of just under one billion dollars, and the 5.5 billion dollars being invested in the new six-story building at Spanish Town Hospital. The ministry also plans to break ground for the expansion of the Greater Portmore Comprehensive Health Centre, also in the parish, before the end of the year.

Speaking at the contract signing and groundbreaking event yesterday, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton emphasised that the new building and renovations at St Jago Park are part of a 10 billion dollar investment in St Catherine’s health services.

“We are now closing the loop with the expansion of the hospital, with the ground-breaking for expansions at the surrounding major health centres, and the electronic health records system, e-Care, that is now being used in the hospital and the health centres,” Tufton said. “We also have a police post here, and we’re enhancing a vector control building at the back, which have both also been unveiled today. Essentially, we are realising the vision and the plan that we have.

“St Catherine is benefitting from a US$65 million investment in its health infrastructure, which is the largest government project in this parish in a very long time,” the minister said. The infrastructure upgrades and electronic health records system implementation are being carried out through the Health Systems Strengthening Programme (HSSP).

Once completed, the upgraded St Jago Park Comprehensive Health Centre will offer expanded services, including dentistry, mental health care, diabetic retinopathy screening, and laboratory services. These improvements are expected to address chronic illnesses and emerging healthcare demands in the parish. An average of 6600 Jamaicans currently use the St Jago Park Comprehensive Health centre on a monthly basis.

HSSP Programme Manager, Mr. Orette Clarke, said: “Today’s groundbreaking represents

another step in our shared vision of a stronger healthcare system. Following the historic

groundbreaking of the Old Harbour Comprehensive Health Centre, this expansion

demonstrates our ongoing commitment to improving access and quality of care.

Together, these projects will provide better healthcare outcomes for the people of St.

Catherine and beyond.”

The project cost of approximately JM $704 million is being funded primarily by the European Union’s USD10 million investment grant into the HSSP. The expansion is expected to be completed within 14 months on groundbreaking, with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation leading the construction.

Piotr Byczkowski, First Counsellor/Deputy Head of Mission, delegation of the European Union to Jamaica, Belize, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and The Cayman Island expressed, “The development of the St Jago Park Health Centre isn’t just about expanding the facilities, it’s about life. It’s about ensuring that every Jamaican, no matter who they are, or where they live, can access the care they need, when they need it. We have seen what is possible when we join forces and Minister Tufton and our partners at the Inter-American Development Bank have been instrumental in driving this vison forward.”

The HSSP was launched in 2018 to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and improve healthcare infrastructure across Jamaica. The programme is supported by a US $50 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), USD $87 million in funding from the Government of Jamaica, and the European Union’s USD $10 million grant.

A total of 13 facilities – three hospitals and ten health centres – across the island are benefitting from enhanced infrastructure, information systems and improved processes under the HSSP, which is expected to run until 2029.