TRELAWNY INFIRMARY – CLOSE TO COMPLETION
Construction of a temporary facility to house the Trelawny Infirmary is progressing steadily, less than six months after the original building was destroyed by Hurricane Melissa last October.
The previous structure, which had overlooked the sea for several decades, was left in ruins following the passage of the hurricane.
During a visit to the construction site on Thursday (February 26), Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie and State Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Delroy Williams, commended the Technical Team at the Trelawny Municipal Corporation for the progress being made on the project.
Minister McKenzie expressed satisfaction with the pace of the work and praised the team involved in advancing the development.
“I am very happy, very comfortable because I am seeing the kind of progress that I anticipated, and I want to commend the team, the mayor, the technical team, the matron and especially the contractor. He gave the commitment of a particular deadline, and I must confess, I am seeing those deadlines,” he said.
The Minister noted that the project forms part of broader efforts to strengthen the poor relief system in the parish.
“The work that we are doing here is a part of the overall work that we are doing as it relates to the poor relief system here in Trelawny,” he added.
Minister McKenzie also indicated that plans are being finalised to identify an appropriate location to house the Trelawny Poor Relief Department, as its previous office was also destroyed during the hurricane.
He further disclosed that State Minister Williams, who has oversight responsibility for matters relating to local authorities, has been tasked with overseeing the completion of the Trelawny Infirmary project.
For his part, Minister Williams underscored the importance of strengthening the Poor Relief Department, noting that it remains a critical component of local governance.
“It is significant that we structure the Poor Relief Department; it is a critical component of local governance in this country, and it is something that we at the Ministry have been committed to in terms of improving our system of poor relief delivery across the country. This project is in line and is aligned to policy direction and to our programmes across the Ministry, and it will be spread across the country,” he said.
He also emphasised the need to swiftly identify a suitable location to accommodate the staff of the Poor Relief Department.
Meanwhile, Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Collen Gager, welcomed the development and expressed appreciation for the new facility, noting that the location will reduce the need to relocate residents in the event of another hurricane.
“I am happy because this time the residents will be able to stay in one place. When a hurricane is coming, we won’t have to be moving them out… for that, we are more than grateful,” he said.
The Mayor added that the residents are looking forward to relocating to their new home.
To date, one of the six prefabricated units has been placed on the property, while the remaining units are expected to be delivered by the supplier within the coming weeks.