DALLEY

Annotto BAY, St. Mary:

"The Annotto Bay Hospital as of August 2 will be officially upgraded to a Type B hospital", revealed Minister of Health Horace Dalley at the reopening of the male medical and surgical wards and the commissioning of a new elevator at the Annotto Bay Hospital last Friday.

The upgrade to a Type B hospital (Type A being the highest) has occurred because the institution has added new departments such as orthopaedics to their facilities and improved their services.

In his presentation, the minister highlighted the cost attributed to the project.

For the first time in the over 50 years of the hospital's history, it now has an elevator. That upgrade came with a $5 million price tag, while the refurbishing of the male medical ward and surgical ward totalled $28 million.

The replacement of a 220 KVA standby power generator cost $6 million and the re-roofing and refurbishing of the staff residence amounted to five, bringing the project's total to $44 million.

Other facilities being aided

Additional money will still be needed for maintenance of the facilities and for the smooth transition of the upgrade.

To that end, Minister Dalley explained that an allotment had already been planned.

"We have allotted for the present fiscal year $40 million to make this transition a smooth one", said Mr. Dalley.

It was also mentioned during the commissioning ceremony that other medical facilities in the parish were being aided financially.

The Port Maria Hospital, for instance, also received $4 million for a facelift and an x-ray unit, which was donated by Couples Hotel, while the December completion of the Highgate Health Centre was also mentioned. That project has a budget of $86 million.

- Lisia Lync