Falmouth Hospital gets $520 million rehabilitation boost after Hurricane Melissa damage

The 139-bed Falmouth Hospital has benefited from a $520 million rehabilitation project following extensive damage caused by Hurricane Melissa last October.

Chief Executive Officer Carlington McKinnon told The Gleaner that the hospital suffered significant damage during the Category 5 storm, with all wards sustaining roof damage.

He said the rehabilitation has improved the hospital’s overall aesthetics, while the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department received a completely new concrete slab roof.

According to McKinnon, the A&E Department has also received new beds and equipment, including a defibrillator, a device used to deliver controlled electric shocks to restore a normal heart rhythm during life-threatening cardiac emergencies.

A patient who requested anonymity praised the care received at the A&E Department.

“I was admitted at 2:30 am on Sunday. I got a clean bed, was attended to by two different doctors for two days – one from Ghana and the other from St Lucia. They were very kind. The meals were on time and very balanced,” the patient told The Gleaner.

Twenty-two doctors are currently on staff, serving patients across 64 occupied beds.

McKinnon said a recruitment drive is ongoing to strengthen the hospital’s complement of doctors.

- Leon Jackson

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.