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The building of a state-of-the-art medical tower at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), represents not just bricks and mortar but also an “unwavering commitment” to provide world-class medical care to everyone who walks through its doors, says Chairman of the institution, Patrick Hylton.

According to the Chairman, each floor has been designed with one purpose – to serve patients with compassion, with excellence, and with innovation.

“That is the objective. The project really began as a vision shared by healthcare professionals, by the leaders of our country, and by the University of the West Indies, which played an important part in its genesis, all who believe our country deserves better access to advanced medical care,” Mr. Hylton said, while addressing the recent breaking of ground for the medical tower.

He noted that the six-storey facility will host, among other things, advanced diagnostic and imaging centres; exdpanded emergency and critical-care facilities; modern surgical suites with the latest technology; comfortable patient rooms designed for healing; and spaces for medical education and research.

Mr. Hylton added that a very important feature will be “areas for family support and community wellness”.

“What we are doing is creating a legacy that will serve generations to come. Families will find comfort here during difficult times, lives will be saved, health will be restored, and hope will be renewed within the walls of this six-storey building,” he said.

For his part, Medical Officer of Health at the Hospital, Dr. Carl Bruce, said the expansion will create a beacon of advancement in training, research, and patient care, adding that the UHWI has “played an integral part in the local and regional community, providing critical healthcare, leadership, and medical training for our healthcare professionals and experts of varying capacity and specialties”.

He pointed out that an estimated 10 per cent of the Jamaican population visits the Hospital annually, and as one of the “premier referral hospitals” in the region, the vision for the UHWI is to be a leading regional healthcare provider by 2030, with a mission to “advance excellence in healthcare through sustainable teaching, research, and patient care”.

Expansion of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) is moving ahead, following Thurday’s (August 7) breaking of ground for a new state-of-the-art medical tower.

The tower is the first structure to be designed for time-sensitive emergencies in cardiology and neuroscience, like heart attack and stroke, to improve efficiency in clinical assessment, diagnostics, and minimally invasive treatment during the limited time window (four hours), under the same roof.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, who led the ground-breaking, said the UHWI must be in a position to train more doctors and nurses, and because “this is the place to provide the leadership, there is a lot of expectation”.

“Improvement cannot survive if this institution does not perform true to its mandate to provide the support out there. This is where the heart of the research in medicine takes place. This is where most of the experts are concentrated. This is where most of the teaching has to take place, both in practical and in theory. This is where the personnel, the labs and the other critical equipment are,” the Minister noted.

Dr. Tufton emphasised that modernising the institution is a priority of the Administration.

“This started some time ago, but it had to fit within that wider 10-year strategic plan, which this Government unveiled back in 2018, which looked at the overhauling of our health infrastructure.

The decision was primarily and fundamentally based on the need for this institution to provide a greater level of service going forward. Now the rest of the plan is in the making.” the Minister said.

The new six-storey tower will house a pharmacy, diagnostic and radiology units, minor operating theatres, neonatal intensive care and special care nursery, wards and administrative offices, among others.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for St. Andrew Eastern, Hon. Fayval Williams, welcomed the development.

She noted that it represents real advancement in the modernisation of healthcare facilities to deliver effective, compassionate, and inclusive care to Jamaicans.

The Government has allocated $270 million for continuation of the project to transform the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI).

As contained in the 2025/2026 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, the funds earmarked for the new financial year will help to improve patient experience at the institution.

Anticipated targets for the new financial year include engagement of an architect to undertake modification to designs of the building, engagement of a commissioning agent and a FIDIC engineer, and to obtain requisite municipality approvals to go to market for construction works.

Targets achieved up to December 2024 included the construction of a new parking area, which is at 90 per cent completion; design of the new tower drawings completed, and a built environment consultant engaged for contract 2.

The UHWI is the premier regional referral centre, providing other Caribbean countries with an affordable option for critical services.

The hospital provides critical care, which includes accident and emergency, intensive care, neonatal intensive care, coronary care, and specialist care consisting of cardiac and complex neurosurgical procedures.

It remains a regional training facility for medical experts and healthcare professionals and is a Centre of Excellence for teaching, research, and patient care.

The National Health Fund (NHF) has donated an ultrasound machine valued at US$96,356 to the Foetal Diagnosis and Therapy Unit at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI).

The machine will provide advanced imaging to check on the health of the baby and ensure greater accuracy in detecting, diagnosing and treating complications to improve antenatal care.

Addressing the handover ceremony at the hospital in St. Andrew on Tuesday (December 10), Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said the machine is an “important addition” to the maternal care being provided at the institution, which is a leader in Jamaica and the wider region.

“The acquisition of this equipment places you where you belong, which is to provide leadership in all sense of the word, whether it is to others who are learning, those who need care… as well as enhance the quality of healthcare delivery in the society,” the Minister said.

He said that come next year, work will be advanced on the UHWI hospital development programme.

Ground was broken in February for the Ring Road rerouting project, which is the first phase of the multiphased upgrading programme.

The works, which are under way, will create a green field for the construction of a six-storey building with additional surgery and ward spaces and specialist services to improve healthcare delivery to Jamaicans.

It will include an additional 40 medical and surgical beds, improvements to outpatient or ambulatory surgery, lecture and conference rooms, and upgrading of the cardiology hybrid interventional surgery room and the neonatal intensive care and administrative departments.

“The designs are almost complete and it is going to be more rooms, more operating theatres, more procedures, better surroundings for those who work within the organisation,” the Minister said.

Chief Executive Officer of the NHF, Everton Anderson, said the agency will continue to make investments to alleviate strains and reduce gaps in the healthcare system, and provide coverage for illnesses.

Medical Officer of Health for the Hospital, Dr. Carl Bruce, in his remarks, said the equipment will “move us forward and ensure that the high-risk [pregnancy] programme continues to thrive”.

The UHWI provides critical-care services, which include accident and emergency, intensive care, neonatal intensive care, coronary care, and specialist care consisting of cardiac and complex neurosurgical procedures.