Western Jamaica Health Facilities Near Full Recovery Eight Months After Hurricane Melissa

Eight months after Hurricane Melissa battered Western Jamaica, the region’s public health network is steadily returning to normal, according to Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton.

During a tour with the Western Regional Health Authority in St James, Dr Tufton said storm damage had left several facilities struggling to function. Roofs were torn open, beds and medical supplies were swept into floodwater, and staff faced severe pressure to keep care going.

At the Catherine Hall Health Centre, which typically sees up to 90 patients daily, flooding wrecked critical equipment. The building has since dried out and operations are picking up again.

"I'm happy to see that the team has worked hard to clean up and to renovate, and we're looking at what some may say is brand new second hand, but as new as new, as good as new — a facility where patients are here getting service," Dr Tufton said. He noted that pharmacy, registration and medical consultations are already running, with dental service expected within one to two weeks once a chair is installed. He put overall service restoration at about 90%, with full operations likely within another week.

Patient numbers are rising again after many had been forced to travel to more distant sites such as Type 5, a shift he said placed added strain on communities.

In St James alone, 16 health centres were damaged and one was destroyed beyond repair. Dr Tufton said even that site remains in use, with services delivered from a church hall, meaning every facility in the parish continues to offer at least basic maternal and child health care.

At Cornwall Regional Hospital, long troubled by renovation delays, Melissa added further setbacks. Dr Tufton said the accident and emergency department is expected to reopen during the summer, possibly shortly afterward. He visited the hospital about two weeks before the tour.