Jamalco and Century Aluminum equip Mandeville Regional paediatric ward with 20 new beds

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Twenty beds donated by Jamalco and Century Aluminum have strengthened paediatric care at Mandeville Regional Hospital.

Michael Stern, who chairs the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA), welcomed the gift at a handover last Thursday. He put the value of the beds at $3.8 million.

“We have a shortage of beds and a shortage of space, so we have to deal with both… This donation is vital for strengthening the hospital’s capacity to deliver quality care to one of the most valuable groups, our children and the future of Jamaica,” Stern said.

He praised both companies for steady corporate giving aimed at education, community development and health.

“The Southern Regional Health Authority has enjoyed a long-standing and fruitful relationship with Jamalco which has resulted in the health facilities benefiting from millions of dollars of improvement in the health-care system in our region,” added Stern.

He cited a recent Jamalco and Cousin’s Construction project that upgraded the accident and emergency waiting area at Lionel Town Hospital for $6.5 million.

“That project transformed what was once an opened and exposed space to a modern, enclosed, and welcoming environment. Ten years ago Lionel Town Hospital was a shell compared to what it is now. We have 26 doctors there, coming up from five doctors, dealing with various care for patients,” said Stern.

“Transforming [facilities] is very important to us because we don’t have all the money to do things, so we need corporate sponsorship,” he added.

Stern said Mandeville Regional remains under pressure from overcrowding tied to recovery after Hurricane Melissa.

“The data is now showing that the surge of cases at the hospital was as a result of the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa, and the hospitals have generally been struggling with the overcrowding — and that started from like November. The data showed that between November and February there were upward trends. In November, after the hurricane, 589 patients were admitted. In December, 534 patients were admitted. In January, 548 patients. Remember now, we are coming from 200 and odd beds,” said Stern.

“The hospital was never built to have so many [patients]. We have to create space in the corridors, in the [wards] to create space. These are not the only beds we have brought into the hospital,” he said, noting that admissions fell to 492 in March.

Rob Hoffman, vice-president and chief accounting officer at Century Aluminum, said the gift fits a wider pattern of community support.

“This contribution forms part of Jamalco’s 2026 initiative community development programme where we reach out to the communities in which we operate and continue to invest in health, education and infrastructure,” said Hoffman.

Rhoda Crawford, Member of Parliament for Manchester Central, also commended Jamalco’s work in health, education and community development.

“There are countless occasions where representatives from Jamalco have reached out to me to sponsor young people to pay for their skills training. Many youngsters from my constituency have benefited from those kinds of programmes. They have done extremely well and we have all been very happy,” said Crawford.