The Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon Sir Patrick Allen, addressing the staff of the Cornwall Regional Hospital during a reception for himself and Her Excellency the Most Hon. Lady Allen on Thursday (December 10), during their tour of the institution.
Their Excellencies were escorted by the Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital, Everton Anderson, on the tour of the hospital during which they interfaced with staff and patients in areas such as the Cardiology Unit, Paediatric Ward, Female and Male Surgical Wards, and the hospital’s laboratory.
Addressing the staff at an official reception in the conference room after the tour, the Governor-General commended them for their consistently hard work in providing quality health care for the people of St. James and neighbouring parishes.
“You are qualified and hard working individuals whose services are in high demand in other countries. We therefore welcome the fact that you have remained in Jamaica to help build your country, by providing us with the critical health care necessary for our development,” the Governor-General said.
“You are a part of what is right with Jamaica, and I believe that together we will make Jamaica a healthier and stronger nation,” he added.
The Governor-General went on to express the view that health and wellness were inextricably linked to social and community development, and were characteristic features of more developed societies that have an integrated social policy structure.
“The health of the nation is the wealth of the nation, and a higher incidence of chronic and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular illness could destabilise our development objectives,” His Excellency pointed out.
He said that the enormous amount of medical and financial resources Jamaica spends on the treatment of chronic non-communicable diseases is untenable given the country’s limited resources.
“Correcting the anomalies is therefore an important and necessary step, especially as the country responds to the downturn in the global economy. This will require a partnership between the various professional groups in the health sector and the wider society, working together to create a healthy environment,” he suggested.
He highlighted the fact that, despite the constraints, the health sector has been performing creditably. He said that the health professionals, and other health care providers, have made Jamaica a model for the care and treatment of persons living with HIV/AIDS.
“I commend our health care professionals across the public health sector, for the quality care and treatment which patients continue to receive at the 23 hospitals and approximately 314 primary health care centres islandwide. This is undoubtedly due to your commitment and resourcefulness and recognition that the health system relies on the efforts of everyone,” he concluded.