Portia Simpson Miller To Be Honoured With St. James Child And Adolescent Hospital Naming

The Western Child and Adolescent Hospital being built in St. James is to bear the name of former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, as the Government recognises her part in bringing the major health development to Jamaica.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, announced the decision on May 26 at a ceremony in downtown Kingston, where the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s 1F North Street building was renamed for Mrs. Simpson Miller. She previously spent 11 years as Minister of Labour.

The 220-bed specialist hospital is now under construction on the Cornwall Regional Hospital compound. When opened, it is expected to be the first hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean set aside specifically for paediatric and adolescent care, serving children and young people up to age 18.

Dr. Holness said naming the institution for Mrs. Simpson Miller was not a new idea for the Administration. He pointed to her involvement in discussions with the Government of China that helped move the project forward.

“I want to give an assurance that the Western Children Hospital, which Portia Simpson Miller went to China and negotiated with the Government of China, came back to Jamaica and announced it, that it is only appropriate that it should be named in her honour, and it will be done,” the Prime Minister said.

According to Dr. Holness, the Government had planned to make the naming public once the hospital was finished and ready to be commissioned. He said the gesture is part of wider work to safeguard Mrs. Simpson Miller’s contribution to national life, even where political views differ.

The Prime Minister also said parts of the Three Miles transportation corridor are to be renamed for Mrs. Simpson Miller. Those areas include the overpasses and nearby spaces around the former site of Portia Simpson Miller Square, which was affected by major road improvement works.

Dr. Holness also spoke about his personal bond with the former Prime Minister, widely known as “Mama P”. He said his mother served in the Ministry of Labour while Mrs. Simpson Miller was minister, and that the two families have remained close for many years.

“She’s always in my heart and we’re always good friends,” Dr. Holness said.

Mrs. Simpson Miller, in her 2007/08 Budget Debate contribution in the House of Representatives, had presented the hospital as a special project meant to respond to the health needs of Jamaica’s children and adolescents. She said then that the country required “a modern, well-equipped hospital that meets the needs of children and adolescents who depend on the public health services”.

The facility is expected to expand access to specialist paediatric and adolescent healthcare for western Jamaica, while also supporting the wider Caribbean region.