(Jamaica Observer) ST JAMES, Jamaica — Hospiten Group, a Spanish-based company, yesterday morning announc-ed that it will begin construction of a state-of- the- art medical facility at a cost of US$20 million in the upscale community of Cinnamon Hill in Rose Hall, St James.
Construction for the 22-bed facility is expected to begin within another few weeks and should be completed by the end of next year.
The full-service facility will be equipped with an Image Diagnosis Centre, a Surgical Block, an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a Clinical Analysis Lab and a 24/7 Emergency Room.
“The project is slated for completion during the second half of 2015 and will create more than 300 direct jobs and the equivalent during construction, Hospiten’s chairman, Dr Pedro Luis Cobiella, said during a presentation at the Montego Bay Convention Centre yesterday.
Addressing government officials, medical personnel and members of the business community, Dr Cobiella said the Group’s maxim has always been to achieve excellence in the services provided, “both in medicine and in patient care, the result of which is that all our hospitals have obtained international recognition for quality and excellence in services and management”.
An important part of that achievement, he noted, lies in understanding, respecting and adapting to the environment, “to the different cultures of the places we settle in”.
Initially affected by the world recession, Dr Cobiella said even though the economic situation stalled the commencement of the project a few years ago, Hospiten did not remain idle.
“We have been working through our Clinic Assist outpatient centres dotted around the resorts, and at the MoBay Hope Medical Centre in Montego Bay,” he told the gathering.
The Clinic Assist centres, he said, placed medical staff at some of the main hotels to provide first aid and other medical services to those using the facilities.
“These centres provide a certain peace of mind for people as they do not need to transfer to a larger healthcare facility if not strictly necessary. Our staff of doctors and nurses at the Clinic Assist centres have done such a good job working with tourists and hotel employees alike, that the network of centres now exceeds a hundred around the world,” he explained.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller who was in attendance at the presentation by the Hospiten Group, said the investment by the Spanish company “comes at a time when the country is experiencing improving economic stability, supporting by positive ratings by international rating agencies.”
“This investment represents a tangible outcome of Jamaica’s Tourism Master Plan and the work of successive governments,” the prime minister noted.
She added that Hospiten’s investments in Jamaica will “position the country globally for health and wellness services.”
“I am sure this will also act as a lever to similar investments,” said Simpson Miller.
