Jamaican Government Cancels Plans to Build Temporary Covid-19 Field Hospital

June 12, 2020 | By Hopeton O’Connor Dennie |

Jamaican Health Minister Christopher Tufton has advised that the announced plan to build a field hospital in Jamaica has been scrapped. An underutilized facility will be upgraded.

In April the government announced its plans to build a 72 bed temporary field hospital at the Jamaican National Stadium in Kingston/ St Andrews.

Speaking at a press conference at the end of May the health minister said: “although the contract has been signed for the field hospital, the matter is being discussed internally as to whether to continue with the plans.”

“One of the things I have said to the team is that we should look at the existing contract or arrangements in terms of expenditure and look at an existing hospital and see if we could add a facility so that after COVID-19 you would still have the facility as opposed to going to the National Arena and building out something that you may have to dismantle over time,” said Health Minister Christopher Tufton.

The death rate is relatively low at 10 at this time in Jamaica. With an approximately 66 percent recovery rate. Some 402 people have recovered with 45 people in isolation.

Jamaica will reopen on the 15th of June 2020 to tourist from overseas.

Jamaica has been put on a top 20 list worldwide for their effective management of the virus.

Hopeton O’Connor-Dennie is Senior National & International Correspondent for Vision Newspaper