By Monique Hepburn, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
PUBLIC HOSPITALS are to benefit from a $72 million allocation from government, which is geared towards helping to equip them with energy saving devices, which in the long-term will reduce their energy consumption and make them more energy efficient.
Speaking in Montego Bay, St. James last Thursday, Techno-logy Minister Phillip Paulwell said that hospitals are among the biggest consumers of electricity in Jamaica and as a consequence, government will be actively pursuing methods to reduce their energy consumption levels.
"Last year, the government spent just about $3 billion on electricity and we are going to have to cut that," Mr. Paulwell said. "Some direct steps will be taken to cut back on the use of electricity and to put in place systems that will ensure this."
The Minister was speaking at the launch of the Conservation Initiative, which is a national public drive aimed at promoting efficient use of energy. The launch took place at Wexford Court Hotel in Montego Bay.
While not providing a timeframe for the completion of the improvement, Minister Paulwell took the opportunity to allay public fears by announcing that the patients can feel assured that they would continue to receive quality health care.
ENERGY TRUST FUND
"We are not going to be short-changing our patients at the hospital, we are just going to make them (the hospitals) more efficient," Minister Paulwell said. "We are starting with the major users, so very soon you are going to see new energy measures at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, the Princess Margaret Hospital and others."
Also at the launch, mention was made of the newly established Energy Trust Fund (ETF) that has as its objective, the provision of funds to the private sector for the implementation of energy efficiency. According to Minister Paulwell, the energy fund will enable businesses to access energy audits and do the necessary retrofitting.
The ETF has received a kick-start by Petrojam, which has provided an initial contribution. However, according to Mr. Paulwell, the Venezuelan government is being approached for assistance as well as commercial and development banks.
"The Energy Trust Fund is not fully up and running because we are trying to source all the funding for it," explained the Technology Minister. "We believe that in another couple of months we will be able to have the full energy fund."
