The Bustamante Hospital in Kingston will by 2023 offer comfortable overnight accommodation for parents as their children receive medical care.

Ground was broken on Wednesday for the construction and furnishing of the two-storey, 18-room Overnight Parent Suite and Paediatric Cardiac Ward valued at $120 million and $500 million, respectively.

Board chairman of the National Housing Trust (NHT), Lennox Channer, said that parents should not have to face the additional pressure of finding temporary shelter while their children are ill.

“We are creating a home away from home for parents at a time when they need it most. Our vision for this parent overnight facility is that it will allow more parents, particularly those that have travelled long distances to be able to fully support the healing and recovery of their children in a clean, safe, and comfortable environment,” he said.

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