Westmoreland field hospital to open this week
Published:Monday | December 1, 2025 | 12:06 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The country’s third field hospital – a Type 2 full-service medical facility gifted by Barbados – will be fully operational before the end of this week on the grounds of the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital in Westmoreland.
Last week, as they were busy setting up the facility, Lt. Comm Anderson Goodridge of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) said the CARICOM neighbour was pleased to assist in Jamaica’s hour of need.
“Thanks for having us here on behalf of our government and people of Barbados to really assist the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital,” he said, standing beside the rows of cream medical tents now rising across the hospital compound. “We are glad to be here to lend assistance, to make sure that the patients and the people of Jamaica have the crucial care and support that they need.”
He noted that the unit is “a Type 2 set-up hospital with surgery capabilities, sterilisation labs, and the staff is 60-plus with doctors, surgeons, and pharmacist”.
Added Goodridge: “We are going to do our best to make sure that the healthcare of these persons are lifted as high as possible.”
Captain Dr Ayana Critchlow, clinical medical director for the BDF emergency medical team,was also looking forward to the mission.
“We are happy to assist my brothers and sisters of Jamaica,” she said. “The Barbadian Defence Force emergency medical team was selected to assist the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, and we worked out our flow patterns from their emergency room through to our triage.”
She explained that teams from both countries have already harmonised operations.
“We have critically placed a few of our doctors to work in the hospital that will help them to funnel [patients] into our field hospital,” she said. “We have actually worked out some rosters with the accident and emergency consultant and the surgeons on how we will flow as we manage the inpatient overflow.”
Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said the temporary facility will support operations during repairs to the main hospital.
“We are very pleased because, as you know, Westmoreland was one of the areas of ground zero, where a lot of damage was inflicted on the people and on the facilities,” he told journalists during a tour on Friday. “So, this field hospital will be here temporarily to provide comprehensive services from operating theatres, intensive care unit, pharmacy, doctors, nurses, ward spaces – literally a full-fledged hospital that has taken up quite a bit of the grounds here of the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital.”
He confirmed that contracts will be signed Tuesday for remedial work on the main building.
“This will be in full operation,” he said of the field unit. “What you are seeing is just a partial set-up, because the internals are yet to go in, so I want to say a very big thank you to them.”