Greater Portmore Health Centre Expansion on Track for Mid-Year Completion

Portmore, St Catherine – Construction work is steadily advancing on the new building at Greater Portmore Health Centre, which is now approximately 65 per cent complete.

This is the latest update from Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, who welcomed the progress as he toured the facility today.

The construction teams have completed site preparation, demolition, and foundation works, with the main structural elements now in place, including walls and columns. Roofing works are approximately 75 per cent complete, while internal works have advanced to rough casting and rendering, with ceiling installation nearing completion.

Engineering services such as electrical, plumbing, sanitation, and fire safety systems, is currently underway and approximately 35 per cent complete. The next phase will focus on tiling, painting, and the installation of windows and doors, as well as landscaping and retrofitting with tools and medical equipment.

When completed, the expanded health centre will offer a wide range of services, including laboratory services, X-ray, oral rehydration, isolation facilities, treatment and procedure rooms, an asthma bay, diabetic retinopathy screening, and physiotherapy services with dedicated examination and exercise rooms.

Support spaces will include administrative offices, staff lounges, training rooms, a conference room, and nurses’ stations to support both service delivery and workforce development.

The tour was attended by key stakeholders including Mr Aniceto Rodriguez Ruiz, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union in Jamaica, whose organisation is the primary funder of the construction works through an EU investment grant. The expansion project is being delivered under the Health Systems Strengthening

Programme (HSSP) as part of a broader initiative to modernise Jamaica’s public health infrastructure.

This health centre expansion represents an estimated investment of JMD 660 million, with construction funded primarily through the European Union grant, and additional

support from the Government of Jamaica for furniture, equipment, and sewage works. Construction is being carried out by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).

Once finished, the expansion will upgrade the existing facility from a Type 3 to a Type 5 comprehensive health centre, which indicates a significant increase in service capacity.

This will improve healthcare delivery in the Greater Portmore area and reduce pressure on nearby hospital, such as Spanish Town Hospital.

Article originally published on the website of the Health Systems Strengthening Programme, which receives support from the European Union through LACIF.