MOH Unveiling of the Monument in Honour of Workers who died during COVID-19
Keynote Address
By
Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP
Prime Minister of Jamaica
At the
MOH Unveiling of the Monument in Honour of Workers who died
during COVID-19
On
March 10, 2025
______________________________________________________________
First, let me commend the National Public Health Lab ensemble. I forgot that they were medical professionals for a moment because they performed so well.
Let me acknowledge your Master of Ceremonies, the distinguished Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jacqueline Bisasor-McKenzie. And I do recall the night of the 9th of March, five years ago, when our Minister of Health, Dr Christopher Tufton, made that faithful call to me to alert me that we could potentially have our first case of COVID-19.
I had always prepared myself for that call since we first got notice of this brewing pandemic in February of 2019 and so it didn’t come as a surprise, but there are things that you know it’s going to come, but you still feel almost like a gut-wrenching pain when it was told to me that yes, Jamaica had its first case.
There was no panic, but like everything else, it was unknown and uncertain. You had a kind of foreboding sense, but the administration steel itself. We were prepared, and we were able to mobilize and address the challenge in a very creditable way in almost all aspects of the management of the pandemic. I believe that today’s function is a fitting recognition for the people who served and who sacrificed.
Let me further acknowledge Mr Mark Golding, Leader of the Opposition
Minister Fayval Williams, I’m sure, would’ve been here were it not that she’s preparing her budget presentation.
Let me also acknowledge Dr the Most Honourable Denise Eldemire-Shearer, the Executive Director of the Mona Aging and Wellness Center and let me also personally commend you. You played a critical role in caring for our seniors during COVID-19 and at the same time giving advice to the government about what we should and should not do. And if I may at this juncture, say to our seniors who faithfully abided by the stay-at-home rules, I know some of them complained bitterly, but they complied, and I believe because of that, we were able to have a very low rate of impact of the pandemic on our seniors.
Let me acknowledge the representatives from the various ministries and agencies who are here,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps who are here,
Our specially invited guests, especially our healthcare workers and the families of the heroes that we salute today.
Members of the media.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed a good morning.
Today, we gather in solemn remembrance and profound gratitude. This monument, which we will unveil together, is not merely a structure of stone and metal. It represents the courage, dedication, and sacrifice of the healthcare workers who stood on the front lines during one of the most challenging periods in our nation’s recent history.
When COVID-19 reached our shores five years ago, bringing uncertainty and fear, it was our doctors, nurses, patient care assistants, hospital attendance technicians, support staff, and other healthcare professionals who rose to the occasion. In the face of overwhelming odds, that is, the most devastating pandemic in a century- they stood firm on the frontline in our frontline of defense and did not falter. They put their duty above their fears, their patience above their own well-being, and in doing so, they saved countless lives.
Today, we pay tribute not just to their service but to their selfless sacrifice and unwavering dedication. We honour those who did not return home to their families, those who gave their last measure of devotion in the line of duty, those whose names are now etched on this monument so that generations to come will remember their heroism.
We must always remember that these are names of mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, friends and colleagues. They were Jamaicans who gave everything to protect their community. As a nation, we owe them more than a monument. We owe them a commitment to never take for granted the sacrifices by those who serve. We owe them our dedication to strengthening our healthcare system, ensuring that our families and workers are never placed in harm’s way without the resources and support they need. We must build a stronger future for Jamaica in their honour, and to do this, we must strengthen our economic resilience.
Now, some may wonder why at times economic matters seem to dominate our national conversation, or why is it that I bring economic matters into all elements of our national conversations. Well, the answer is that economic resilience translates to resilience of every aspect of our governance, including our healthcare system, in our education system, in our security forces, but most importantly in our ability to respond to crisis. If our economy isn’t doing well, we cannot respond adequately and effectively to crises.
The pandemic exposed vulnerabilities that we have since worked tirelessly to address because of the difficult but necessary economic reforms we have undertaken. Jamaica is now better prepared for future shocks, whether it is another pandemic, a natural disaster, or a global economic downturn.
Today, our healthcare sector is stronger. It is stronger in terms of the infrastructure. It is stronger in terms of the number of professionals that we have. We still need to pay some attention to remuneration and care. I know it’s a statement for which there is some amount of agreement, but we’re working on both remuneration for which the professionals will be very interested in but the general public is also interested in the care element for which the professionals are also interested and I think we’re going to have to have this open conversation about care in healthcare because it is really a challenge for many Jamaicans.
It’s a difficult conversation because you always have to be paying attention to the remuneration, to the infrastructure, to the facilities, to the supplies and resources, but care is from the heart, and I think what the public is saying is that we need to see more heart in healthcare. That, I think, is a good synopsis of the public position, but of course, the balance is always that the professionals need resources and proper remuneration. And I think that the government understands this delicate balance, and we’re trying to do both, which is why a strong economy is so important. I think I’ve made that point.
The pandemic did expose us to serious challenges, but we were able to respond, and the response was not just to the pandemic; the response continues even now. And we have been able to increase investment in healthcare significantly. When Minister Tufton comes to speak in the sectoral debate, I’m sure that he will outline the massive investments that we have made in addition to new plans and in addition to plans to increase the care and heart in healthcare.
This means that the next time Jamaica faces a crisis- and there will be another crisis, we just don’t know what it is going to be or when it’ll be, but whenever it is, we are in a better position to respond to crises. It is out of a commitment to strengthening the healthcare system and to strengthening the healthcare workforce that we launched the Dr Barry Wint Memorial Scholarship in 2024, investing $2.5 billion to support 607 students pursuing studies in medical technology, nursing, biomedical engineering, and other critical health-related fields. This initiative honours the legacy of Dr Wint and the critical role that our healthcare workers play in national development, but more importantly, it ensures that we are building a robust pipeline of professionals dedicated to service in the health sector. This is a solid commitment of how the government is dealing with building resilience in the system and supporting our professionals, and at the same time, ensuring that we can deliver healthcare with care.
In 2022, we declared July as Healthcare Workers’ Appreciation Month, a time set aside to recognize the selfless contribution of those who carried us through the crisis, but our appreciation cannot be confined to a single month or a single event. It must be reflected in how we value and support our healthcare professionals every single day.
To the families of the fallen, I know that no words can fill the space left, especially for your loved ones, but know this: their legacies live on. It lives on in the patients they heal, the lives they touch and now in the monument we are about to unveil. So, as we pay tribute today, let us renew our vow to honour those heroes who gave their lives to save ours.
Let us commit to a Jamaica where those who dedicate their lives to caring for others are themselves cared for. Let us also commit to upholding the values these healthcare workers have embodied: care, compassion, resilience, and unity. In their action and sacrifice, they made a choice. They chose Jamaica’s welfare over their own. They chose Jamaica.
May the souls of our dearly departed heroes and heroines rest in peace, knowing that they will always be honoured in the heart of the nation.
God bless you and thank you.