The health facilities in the Southern Regional Health Authority have been making strides in developing a service-oriented environment focused on continuous improvement in its operations. This has resulted in the Percy Junor Hospital and the Christiana Health Centre copping top prizes in the Public Sector Customer Service Awards Competition.

The awards ceremony which was held in Kingston on October 9 recognized the Percy Junor Hospital in Clarendon for being the best hospital in the island while the Christiana Health Centre in Manchester was awarded the Best Health Centre in Jamaica.

Regional Director for the Southern Regional Health Authority, Michael Bent noted that the health facilities in the southern region have been developing a culture of good customer service which has seen improved service delivery and customer satisfaction in several facilities.

“Customer service is essential to effective service delivery particularly in the health sector and as a region we continue to work to improve our standards of delivery” Mr. Bent added.

For Parish Manager for the Manchester Health Services, Earl McLaughlin, there are many hospitals and health centres in the island “and for the facilities in the southern region to emerge from this field and be regarded as the best of them all is a phenomenal achievement.”

Mr. McLaughlin who is the former CEO of the Percy Junor Hospital noted that earlier in the year the staff at the Percy Junor Hospital revised their Vision Statement, which now states that “PJH will be the leading example of a health care facility within the Caribbean that promotes the health and well-being of both the customer and the environment”.

“This is a clear indication that they are well on their way there” he added.

The Percy Junor Hospital also received several public sector awards including Most Creative and Innovative Agency, Best Hospital and Most Innovative Agency in the past.