PNP Patriots wants hospital named for Portia

The Patriots, the professional affiliate of the People's National Party (PNP), is urging the Government to name the children's hospital being built in St James in honour of former prime minister Portia Simpson Miller.

Noting that the facility was conceptualised during Simpson Miller's tenure as prime minister, the Patriots said the hospital is a testament to her vision for equitable healthcare access for Jamaica's children, particularly those in western Jamaica.

"Renaming the Western Children's Hospital in her honour would not merely recognise a former prime minister; it would honour a legacy of compassion, resilience, and unwavering service to the Jamaican people," said Ibrahim Konteh, deputy general secretary of the Patriots.

The idea to build a children's hospital in Western Jamaica was first mooted by Simpson Miller who argued that another health facility is needed to serve the needs of Jamaicans in that part of the island. She pointed out that many families had to travel from across the island to Kingston to access certain services at the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC), the country's sole children's hospital.

After the PNP lost the 2016 general election, the Andrew Holness administration carried forward the vision and began its construction. The 220-bed facility is being built on the grounds of the Cornwall Regional Hospital. Upon completion, it will join the BHC as the country's only specialist institutions dedicated exclusively to paediatric care.