Gov’t Invites Bids for Spanish Town Hospital Redevelopment Project

International and local contractors are being invited to participate in the tender process for the redevelopment of the Spanish Town Hospital in St. Catherine, which will see a complete overhaul of the facility.

The successful bidder will be tasked with constructing a modern, six-storey structure with an estimated area of 17,633 square metres of space, that will include several points of access for staff and patients and a skywalk to link existing wards.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, officially launched the tender process during a ceremony at the Ministry’s New Kingston offices on Thursday (August 4).

He said that the Government is implementing a transparent and accountable procurement process to identify the right contractor to ensure that the project is delivered on-time and on budget.

The process, he said, is in conformity with the international, competitive bidding procedures specified in the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Policies for the Procurement of Goods and Works.

The Health Minister said the redevelopment project, which “represents the single largest infrastructure development in public health in our nation’s history”, will add valued services to the Spanish Town Hospital to benefit the people in St. Catherine and its environs.

“We have never spent so much money on a piece of public health infrastructure… . It’s a big deal,” he emphasised, adding that through this development, the Government is demonstrating its commitment to ensuring that the country’s health facilities are improved to serve the people of Jamaica.

Dr. Tufton noted that the Jamaica 60 project is an important milestone in the implementation of the US$50-million Health Systems Strengthening Programme, which is intended to build and drive resilience in the public health system.

The programme is being implemented with the support of the IDB and the European Union (EU).

The new hospital building will be located at the north-eastern part of the existing facility, which currently houses several structures that will require demolition.

Some of the existing hospital services that take place in these areas will need to be temporarily relocated to facilitate the construction. These services include a day-care centre, a pharmacy, a laboratory, nursing quarters and staff parking.

The new facility will incorporate areas for accident and emergency, a radiology department, outpatient services, pharmacy, endoscopy unit, surgical suite, an intensive care unit, laboratory, medical records, staff lounge and underground staff parking.

With the development, services, including urology, oncology, cardiology, ophthalmology and psychiatry, will be offered at the hospital.

“What the people of St. Catherine will have is a full-service operation. For some of these services now, they have to travel to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), to May Pen [Hospital], University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), to National Chest Hospital or [elsewhere]. So, a number of these services are now going to be consolidated under the Spanish Town Hospital in this new-look renovated, expanded facility,” Dr. Tufton said.

The hospital will also benefit from improved information and communications technology infrastructure that will enhance access to medical services, providing, among other things, electronic access to patients’ medical records.

Following the successful tender process, it is anticipated that construction of the new facility will begin in the first quarter of 2023 and is expected to be completed within two years.

Interested bidders are directed to download the bid document from the Government of Jamaica e-Procurement system at www.gojep.gov.jm.

Bids may be submitted physically and/or electronically on the e-procurement system website. All bids must be accompanied by a Bid Securing Declaration as defined in the bidding data sheet.