Building a Better Jamaica

Published: Saturday | June 12, 2010
Jamaica Gleaner rasbert.turner@gleanerjm.com

The state-of-the-art hospital promised for the Sunshine City will not be built in time for its projected 2011 opening, four years after municipal officials rolled out an ambitious plan for infrastructural development in the bid for city status.

Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday evening, Portmore Mayor Keith Hinds revealed that the council had not even secured the land.

Hinds told the gathering that the developers, Cayjam, have yet to pin down the Southboro property.

"The truth is, even on Christmas Eve last year, I visited Jamaica House to talk with the prime minister about the project, and still there was not a decision by the developers to buy the land," Hinds said.

The mayor said May was the latest deadline given for a decision.

"You cannot build without land, with the promise to have the hospital up and running from 2011. I think the people should know the truth," Hinds reasoned.

Many councillors sighed on hearing the mayor's admission.

The hospital project for Portmore had been launched with much fanfare. Residents of the mainly sprawling St Catherine dormitory community were informed the hospital would have been constructed at an estimated cost of US$40 million over 18 months.

Cayjam also unveiled an elaborate plan detailing the style, size and services that would be on offer at the facility.

A memorandum of understanding had been signed between Cayjam and the Portmore Municipal Council for the proposed 64-bed privately run hospital.