Jamaica readies 3 major infra projects

Jamaica’s ministry of health and wellness is hiring project managers to help coordinate three infrastructure projects, which are part of a 10-year strategic master plan. 

One project concerns the construction of a hospital for the south-eastern parish of St Catherine, another involves the modernization of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) near capital Kingston and the last involves building the ministry’s new headquarters.

The projects were originally announced in early December, but the job ads were just published on the ministry’s procurement site, including some project details.

Although aspects such as estimated capex are not yet known, planning has started and the project managers are expected to start in February. They will be in charge of tenders and picking winners.

The need for the projects arose as the coronavirus pandemic exposed the sector’s vulnerabilities and bed capacity had to grow through 2020. For example, the Spanish Town hospital, inaugurated in 1952, in St Catherine has reached the end of its useful life and there is a need for a replacement, according to the government. 

The new St Catherine hospital has been projected to alleviate the high demand the nearby Spanish Town hospital and the Linstead hospital, also in St Catherine, are currently shouldering, the government said. 

The new St Catherine hospital will be a type A facility, and the ministry has revealed that the new corporate office will cover 80,000ft2. Currently, the ministry operates from seven offices but needs to get its 600 employees under one roof. 

The UHWI will be modernized in stages. Stage one involves the demolishing of old buildings and the construction of five medical towers, one of them being a six-story tower for which a design has been completed by the university and ministry.

Other complementary works include a new parking lot, a new entrance and a ring road. 

The new hospital and corporate offices have already been approved by the public investment management committee of the ministry of finance and the public service, while the UHWI modernization is ready to be tendered, the procurement site said.