OCHO RIOS, St Ann – Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie, who was visibly upset about the decrepit condition of the St Ann’s Bay Infirmary during a recent tour, has given local authorities one week to provide an estimate for a new kitchen.
The kitchen was one of the areas that he highlighted as being in need of repair when he made it clear that he intends to hold someone accountable for the state of the facility that houses 84 of the parish’s indigent.
While he conceded that the building is old and its geographic location leaves it at the mercy of corrosive seawater, McKenzie noted that inadequate upkeep has also been a factor regarding its current state.
“If I tell you that I’m pleased I’d be lying. I’m disappointed about the condition of the infirmary; the maintenance is exceedingly poor. This is an old building which is next door to the sea so the seawater has affected the area, but despite that the maintenance could have been better,” he said.
He noted that despite efforts being made to relocate the infirmary, the repairs needed are so urgent that the Government will pump $50 million into the existing structure even though the Administration is prepared to spend double that amount to relocate it, as soon as land becomes available.
McKenzie has expressed concern about the structure’s ability to withstand a hurricane. The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and is to end on November 30.
“We just going to have to spend the money. It’s gonna take a good amount of money, especially for the kitchen; we gonna have to put down, literally, a new kitchen. We have to ensure that the building is sanitised because it’s an old building and it is infested with chi chi [termites], so that is one of the first order of business,” he said.
“We gonna pay some attention to the bathroom in the male [section] of the infirmary. The ministry is going to be providing $50 million at the outset. The permanent secretary will have direct responsibility for how that $50 million is going to be executed, working with the municipal corporation in executing the funds,” he added.
He has ordered that the estimate for the work to be done on the kitchen be provided to the permanent secretary.
“I’m giving them a week to have this estimate prepared so that we can start work on the kitchen,” McKenzie said.
Noting that all infirmaries have maintenance teams, he said he intends to seek answers from mayor of St Ann’s Bay, Sydney Stewart about the inadequacies seen at the St Ann’s Bay facility.
In response, the mayor said much of the focus has been on relocation.
“We do have a maintenance team in place but the facility, at times you fix this and that goes out. The visit of the minister is welcomed and the announcement made by the minister, we’ll be looking forward to see that it transforms the current facility that is here. It’s true that there are discussions going on that we will relocate the infirmary… That discussion is high on the agenda and once we can relocate we’d be able to, of course, construct and maintain a state-of-the-art facility,” he said.
Matron for the facility, Alicia Drummond-Knight said she is grateful for the work to be done.
“We have been having several issues as [McKenzie] mentioned and I am very hopeful now, based on what he said, that we will get the help that we need here. The visit is welcomed and I am hoping that the result of the visit will also be good,” she said.
