SERHA Opens Outpatient Waiting Area at the Spanish Town Hospital

KINGSTON, Jamaica. Friday, May 17, 2024: The South East Regional Health Authority

(SERHA) recently opened the Outpatient Waiting Area at the Spanish Town Hospital (STH),

which has the capacity to accommodate 300 patients, who may require care but do not need to be admitted. The covered waiting area is equipped with comfortable chairs to improve patient experience. Funding in the amount of J$32 million was provided by SERHA.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said that the upgrade of the facility forms part of the transformation process in the healthcare sector. Addressing the audience, he urged them to protect the new building that was given to them by the Government of Jamaica. He stated that they must use the tools available to them to make things better and to take care of the new space.

He further explained that the implementation of the new patients’ electronic health records system used at STH will reduce the waiting time of its patients and increase the capacity of the medical staff to see more patients. He added that he is also pleased with the current upgrades being made to STH including the relocated laboratory and pharmacy. The lab is now equipped with more space, to ensure more tests, with the most modern equipment and highlighted over 100,000 lab tests are done each month. The new National Health Fund Pharmacy is equipped with more space, more drugs dispensing windows and comfortable    waiting area and over 12,000 prescriptions are done each month.

In his remarks, Mr. Errol Greene, Regional Director, SERHA, said that the regional team and the key stakeholders have done a tremendous job in the completion of the infrastructural developments of the hospital, including the relocated laboratory and pharmacy, the construction of the main car park, the conversion of the store building into a maintenance staff building, and a daycare centre. The major developments were made to facilitate the redevelopment of the hospital.