BASSETERRE, St. Kitts
(SKNIS) – The Cable, in partnership with several other entities, has embarked on an ambitious and truly worthwhile project to renovate the lobby area of the Joseph N. France (JNF) General Hospital, thereby improving its overall aesthetics and making the hospital facility a more welcoming space for all.
The project was launched on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, during a ceremony at the hospital. In attendance were Prime Minister and Minister of Health, the Honourable Dr Terrance Drew; Director of Health Institutions, Dr Jenson Morton and other members of the management staff of the hospital, as well as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Cable, Patricia Walters.
Mrs Walters said The Cable adopted the renovation project as part of its community outreach initiative for its 40th-anniversary celebrations.
“We wanted to make sure that whatever we did, benefitted the nation; not just our customers for our 40th anniversary, but the people of the Federation,” CEO Walters said. “Many of us, at some [point] or another, had reasons to pass through the lobby on the way to visit someone or sit and await services, and what we want is to create a pleasant atmosphere so that whether you are waiting or passing through, your spirit would be uplifted in this very important institution in our nation,” The Cable CEO added.
Improving the aesthetics of the lobby was part of the overall plan for enhancing the infrastructure and services at the JNF General Hospital.
Director of Health Institutions, Dr. Jenson Morton stated, “We really looked at this from a staff building standpoint and a quality building standpoint and that was why you would have seen particular efforts and changes in different areas such as EMS, dialysis and so forth. But one of the areas we could not ignore was the area of aesthetics. Some people point out that we don’t have a lot of clarity with regards to the signage…and some people would say it’s dark and gloomy [at the hospital] and it puts them in a sad mood before they’ve even done anything and all of those things they can mentally impact people’s healing and wellbeing.”
Prime Minister Dr. Drew was thankful for the partnership of The Cable and the other private sector entities, stressing that public-private sector partnership is integral for the continued development of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Health is a national issue. It is all of our business…and therefore because it is all of our business I think the approach should always be, how can we get the community involved in making sure that we have a hospital that would serve our needs and one that would be of high quality as well,” Dr. Drew said.
Moreover, the honourable prime minister said improvements to the aesthetics would complement other key developments that have taken place at the general hospital in recent months. This includes roof repairs, the hiring of specialists at the hospital and also extending the number of scholarships available to nurses to become specialists in different areas of nursing.
“While we are doing all of that we made sure that we bring in the equipment that we needed. For example, we brought in dialysis machines that were donated to us from Canada and now we have an oversupply of dialysis machines, meaning that we can change out machines and rest machines. We have also brought in new anesthesiology machines to be used in the Operating Theatre. We have already bought a brand new, up-to-date CT scan which is expected to come sometime in January or February and that is separate from the MRI that we are also on the path of procuring,” Prime Minister Dr. Drew said.
For the renovation project, the TDC Group of Companies has come on board as a key partner, committing to supply all the paint required for a comprehensive repaint of the lobby.