Base ready, but CRH’s medical dome yet to arrive

Western Bureau:

A 10,000-foot medical dome, which was slated to be installed on the grounds of the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in Montego Bay, St James, last month, creating space for approximately 100 additional beds, has still not been installed though the base is ready for use.

In his last update on the plan for the dome, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton had told The Gleaner that it would be flown in once work on the base is finished.

“I believe they are waiting to complete the base, which should be completed soon, but I will follow up with more specifics. I think they had decided not to fly in [with the dome] until the base is finished,” said Tufton.

Checks by The Gleaner yesterday revealed that the base for the medical dome, which is located beside the Type A hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department (A&E), is now completed.

The dome is said to be strong enough to withstand a Category 4 hurricane.

Dr Delroy Fray, the clinical coordinator for the Western Regional Health Authority, which has responsibility for the CRH, said his checks, up to last Friday, confirmed that the dome’s base is in fact ready.

“From what I know from Friday, the foundation is built and it is ready, so we are now waiting on the arrival of the facility. That is what I know for sure,” said Fray. “When I looked up there, I saw that the base was finished.”

In early February, it was announced that the medical dome would be flown into Jamaica by the end of the month and publicly handed over to the local public health system. The dome is being donated by international NGOs Judah One and Kennedy International Logistics and Services and is expected to improve patient flow and relieve congestion in the CRH’s A&E Department while permanent repairs continue at the hospital.

In addition to the 100 beds, the dome will come equipped with X-ray systems, autoclaves, and other medical equipment, all provided at no cost to the Government of Jamaica.

A month before the announcement about the dome was made, Dr Curtis Yeates, the senior medical officer at CRH, promised that more bed spaces would be made available at the hospital in the aftermath of a protest by doctors and nurses, who highlighted their concerns over poor working conditions and overcrowding at the A&E Department.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com