Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton has clarified that the increase in the government’s budgetary allocation for completing Cornwall Regional Hospital is due to the inclusion of taxes on imported medical equipment.

Addressing concerns over the more than $3 billion increase in the 2025/2026 Estimates of Expenditure, Dr. Tufton emphasized that this is not a rise in project costs but an accounting adjustment. Initially, the plan was to waive taxes on the imported equipment, but following discussions with the Ministry of Finance, it was decided that these taxes should be officially recorded in the budget.

“So it’s not that there is an increase in the cost of completing Cornwall Regional Hospital. It’s a decision to account for the taxes on equipment that was already included in the new scope. I think that’s important to make very clear,” Dr. Tufton explained.

He was responding to a question from Opposition Member of Parliament Dr. Morais Guy during a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament on Thursday.
Electronic Health Records System Expansion

Dr. Tufton also provided an update on the ongoing implementation of the Electronic Health Records System (EHR). He noted that May Pen Hospital, Spanish Town Hospital, and their affiliated health centers have already integrated the system.

“For example, Spanish Town Hospital is connected to three health centers—St. Jago, Portmore, and Old Harbour. A patient’s information uploaded at these centers can be retrieved electronically when they visit the hospital,” he explained.

Efforts are also underway to bring St. Ann’s Bay Hospital onto the system. In addition, training is being conducted to transition healthcare staff from a paper-based system to digital record-keeping using iPads.

Stay tuned to Mykro Wave TV for more updates on this developing story.