Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness on Friday (January 30) officially opened the new Parent Overnight Suite at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, marking a major expansion of family-centred care at the country’s premier paediatric facility.
The 36-bed suite, constructed at a cost of more than $140 million, provides modern accommodation for parents and guardians whose children require extended hospitalisation, allowing them to remain close and play an active role in their children’s care.
The project was delivered through a partnership involving the National Housing Trust (NHT), the National Health Fund (NHF) and the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA).
Designed primarily to support parents and guardians who live overseas or outside Kingston, the facility will also serve those not staying overnight. Amenities include restrooms, a kitchenette, a lounge and designated breastfeeding areas. The building also houses office space for the suite’s manager and a conference room to facilitate consultations with parents.
In his address, Prime Minister Holness highlighted Bustamante Hospital’s status as the only specialist paediatric hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean, offering services that range from general medicine to cardiology, neurology, nephrology, oncology, surgery and intensive care. He noted that the Accident and Emergency Department treats about 70,000 patients annually.
“This institution is a national cornerstone, a lifeline for families in their most vulnerable moment,” the Prime Minister said.
Dr. Holness stressed that parental involvement is critical to a child’s recovery, underscoring that families are an integral part of the healing process.
“Parents are not visitors in a child’s recovery. They are partners in it,” he said, noting that the previous overnight facility was aging, limited and no longer adequate as the hospital expanded in size and medical capability.
He said the new suite is expected to significantly improve outcomes for patients and families alike.
“When parents are rested, they are better able to care for their child. When parents are nearby, the child feels safer. And when families are supported, healing is accelerated,” he added.
While welcoming the completion of the project, the Prime Minister acknowledged that its delivery was delayed by a range of challenges, including contractor underperformance and terminations, redesign issues, theft of materials, overlapping agency responsibilities, lengthy procurement processes, and disruptions caused by Hurricanes Beryl and Melissa.
He cautioned that while accountability and institutional safeguards are necessary to protect the public interest, they must not impede delivery.
“A system that protects integrity but prevents delivery is not protection; it is paralysis,” Dr. Holness said.
The Prime Minister commended healthcare workers, civil servants and partner agencies for persevering through the setbacks to complete the facility, describing the Parent Overnight Suite as an initiative that “deepens the circle of care” by supporting not only young patients, but also the families who stand beside them.
