Victoria Jubilee Hospital

Last updated

Victoria Jubilee Hospital
Victoria Jubilee Hospital
Geography
Location Kingston, Jamaica
Coordinates 17°58′37″N76°47′44″W / 17.9768246°N 76.7954588°W / 17.9768246; -76.7954588
Services
Beds248
History
Former name(s)Victoria Jubilee Lying-In Hospital
Opened9 May 1892 (1892-05-09)
Links
Website serha.gov.jm/hospitals/vjh
Lists Hospitals in Jamaica

Victoria Jubilee Hospital (initially known as the Victoria Jubilee Lying-In Hospital) was founded in 1891 and opened to the public in 1892 in Kingston, Jamaica. [1] The current facility, the largest maternity hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean, features 248 beds and delivers around 8,000 babies annually. [2]

Contents

History

As a tribute to Queen Victoria in memory of her Golden Jubilee, the Victoria Jubilee Lying-In Hospital began as a public subscription project and was then endowed by the Government of Jamaica. It was planned as a public hospital for poor women to provide them with suitable food and lodging, and medical care, under the supervision of trained professionals, during their confinement. In addition, from the beginning, a nursing training program was planned to train competent practitioners to service community health needs. [3]

The hospital was built in 1891 and opened to the public on 9 May 1892 located on North Street between Rose Lane and West Street. A two-story building, surrounded by a wide verandah, it featured modern accommodations and electricity. The ground floor had twelve rooms for student nurses, as well as offices for the matron and doctor. The upper floor contained two wards of six beds, two lying-in rooms, and a bathroom, as well as one private room if a patient could afford to pay. To the rear of the main building was an isolation ward for infectious patients, a laundry, kitchens, and a bath house. The grounds were planted with ornamental plants and trees from the Botanical Garden. [1] The first doctor employed by the hospital was Michael Grabham and Miss Davis, a certified nurse was hired from London, as the matron. [4]

The majority of the training for student nurses was practical and the intent was to relocate trainees throughout the country after completion of their education. Pupil nurses were assigned patients in rotation administered medicines and monitored their condition, acting as assistants to the matron and physician. Lectures were given to acquaint students with proper treatment techniques, varied conditions, and complications they might encounter during their rounds. Particular attention was paid to infant care and passing on information to mothers so that they could maintain the health of their children. [4] Though sometimes controversial, the hospital accepted all patients, including single mothers, but gave preference to married women if space was limited. [3] [1]

Through the years, various expansion projects took place in the period from 1950 to 1975, which resulted in an additional 150-bed availability and new administration offices. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal London Hospital</span> Teaching hospital in Whitechapel, London

The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and Tower Hamlets and specialist tertiary care services for patients from across London and elsewhere. The current hospital building has 845 beds and 34 wards. It opened in February 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Prince Alfred Hospital</span> Hospital in Sydney, Australia

The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown. It is a teaching hospital of the Central Clinical School of the Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney and is situated in proximity to the Blackburn Building of the university's main campus. RPAH is the largest hospital in the Sydney Local Health District, with approximately 1200 beds. Following a $350 million redevelopment, the perinatal hospital King George V Memorial Hospital has been incorporated into it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epworth HealthCare</span> Hospital in Victoria, Australia

Epworth HealthCare is a provider of acute medical, surgical and rehabilitation services in Melbourne, Australia. The group has four divisions: Epworth Richmond, Epworth Eastern, Epworth Cliveden, Epworth Freemasons and Epworth Geelong Epworth Rehabilitation, with rehabilitation sites at Richmond, Camberwell, Brighton and Geelong, Victoria. With over 1,200 beds and more than 7,000 staff, Epworth HealthCare is Victoria's largest not-for-profit private hospital group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast</span> Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland

The Royal Victoria Hospital commonly known as "the Royal", the "RVH" or "the Royal Belfast", is a hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is managed by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. The hospital has a Regional Virus Centre, which is one of the four laboratories in the United Kingdom on the WHO list of laboratories able to perform PCR for rapid diagnosis of influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matron</span> Senior nurse in a hospital

Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in several countries, including the United Kingdom, and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies.

Nursing management consists of the performance of the leadership functions of governance and decision-making within organizations employing nurses. It includes processes common to all management like planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. It is common for registered nurses to seek additional education to earn a Master of Science in Nursing or Doctor of Nursing Practice to prepare for leadership roles within nursing. Management positions increasingly require candidates to hold an advanced degree in nursing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster Hospital</span> Hospital in Westminster, London

Westminster Hospital was a hospital in London, England, founded in 1719. In 1834 a medical school attached to the hospital was formally founded. In 1939 a newly built hospital and medical school opened in Horseferry Road, Westminster. In 1994 the hospital closed, and its resources were moved to the new Chelsea and Westminster Hospital at the old St Stephen's Hospital site in Fulham Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hospital of St. Cross, Rugby</span> Hospital in Rugby, England

The Hospital of St. Cross is a National Health Service hospital on Barby Road, in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, managed by the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. It is on the south edge of Rugby above a steep slope running down to the Sow Brook valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Cross Nurses</span> Non-profit organization

Black Cross Nurses is an international organization of nurses which was founded in 1920, based upon the model of the Red Cross. The organization was the women's auxiliary of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League and was established to provide health services and education to people of African descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leith Hospital</span> Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland

Leith Hospital was situated on Mill Lane in Leith, Edinburgh, and was a general hospital with adult medical and surgical wards, paediatric medical and surgical wards, a casualty department and a wide range of out-patient services. It closed in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie Grace Augustin</span> Saint Lucian businesswoman and politician

Marie Grace Augustin, OBE, commonly known as Grace Augustin, was a Saint Lucian businesswoman and politician. After attaining a nursing and midwifery degree, she studied law, but was refused permission to take a bar examination based on her gender. Instead, Augustin became the first woman in Saint Lucia to manage a large estate, becoming a planter. She was the first woman to be nominated as a parliamentarian in St. Lucia and become the first female member of the legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connie Mark</span> Jamaican-born community activist (1923–2007)

Constance Winifred Mark, MBE, BEM was a Jamaican-born community organiser and activist. She served as a medical secretary in the Auxiliary Territorial Service in World War II. After moving to England in the early 1950s, she became an activist for West Indians in London, after being denied her British Empire Medal. She worked to gain recognition for Black service personnel who were overlooked for their services and co-founded the Mary Seacole Memorial Association to bring recognition to the accomplishments of the noted Jamaican nurse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilda Bowen</span> Bahamian nurse

Hilda Bowen, MBE was a Bahamian nurse. Graduating with a degree in ophthalmic nursing and midwifery, she became the first Bahamian-trained nurse. In 1962, she was the first Bahamian to become matron of the public hospital and in 1965, was installed as principal matron of the Public Health Department. She worked as the Chief Nursing Officer of the Ministry of Health between 1970 and 1980 and thereafter served as the country's Director of Nursing. She drove for the establishment of the Bahamas Nursing Council, a governing body for the country's nursing industry and was influential in developing a degree based nursing certification. She was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1969 for her contributions to the medical development of the country.

Shirley Miller is a Jamaican attorney and one of the first women admitted as Queen's Counsel in the Caribbean. Admitted to the inner bar in 1971, she became the first Queen's Counsel in Jamaica and has served in numerous capacities, including as head of the Legal Reform Department and on the Electoral Advisory Committee. She served on a committee of three to review Jamaica's Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms and was honored as a commander in the Order of Distinction, as well as receiving the Order of Jamaica for her contributions to legal reform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwendolyn Spencer</span>

Gwendolyn Spencer, OD was a nurse and midwife, who co-founded the Jamaican Midwives' Association. An advocate for professionalism, she was instrumental in developing training programs for midwives and establishing a professional pay grade from the government for their services. She received the Order of Distinction for her contributions to healthcare in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather Little-White</span> Jamaican nutritionist and disabilities activist (1952–2013)

Heather Little-White OD was a Jamaican nutritionist, journalist and disabilities activist. After earning degrees in nutrition and communication, she worked with Grace Kitchens and founded the television programme Creative Cooking to share sound nutritional advice throughout the country. As a journalist, besides writing articles on nutrition, she wrote a weekly column on sexuality for the Outlook Magazine segment of The Gleaner newspaper. After working with the Reggae Boyz, Jamaica's national football team, as a nutrition consultant, Little-White became paralyzed from the waist down after being shot during a robbery attempt. Becoming an advocate for people with disabilities, she focused on bringing awareness, accessibility, and assistance to Jamaicans living with disabilities. She was honored as an officer in the Order of Distinction in 2001.

Barbara Joy Gloudon was a Jamaican writer. She received two Seprod Awards from the Press Association of Jamaica and Order of Distinction. Gloudon was a scriptwriter for Jamaica's Little Theatre Movement (LTM) and wrote radio drama. She hosted a radio talk show for thirty years and became chair of the LTM. She was granted the Order of Jamaica in 1992 and became a fellow of the Institute of Jamaica in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazel Monteith</span> Jamaican senator, radio personality and social worker

Hazel Conupe Monteith, O.D., J.P. was an Afro-Jamaican consumer rights advocate, radio personality and social worker. Graduating from the first course in social work offered by the University of the West Indies, Monteith worked for twelve years as a traveling field agent coordinating social welfare projects for the Jamaica Federation of Women.

Ethel Lily May Thorpe was a British-Canadian nurse.

Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) is a public general hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. It is the oldest public hospital in Jamaica and is the main hospital in south eastern Jamaica. The hospital is operated by the South East Regional Health Authority on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Jamaica.

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • "Danger lurks at Victoria Jubilee Hospital—Health Audit". Kingston, Jamaica: RJR News Online. 7 November 2015. Archived from the original on 30 August 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  • "Health Programme Set Out". The Gleaner . Kingston, Jamaica. 19 March 1956. p. 15. Retrieved 27 October 2017 via Newspaperarchive.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  • "Nursing probers tour some city medical institutions (pt 1)". The Gleaner . Kingston, Jamaica. 29 September 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 27 October 2017 via Newspaperarchive.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg and "Nursing probers tour some city medical institutions (pt 2)". The Gleaner . Kingston, Jamaica. 29 September 1966. p. 5. Retrieved 27 October 2017 via Newspaperarchive.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  • "Old Jubilee hospital being demolished". The Gleaner . Kingston, Jamaica. 27 June 1959. p. 3. Retrieved 27 October 2017 via Newspaperarchive.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  • "Schools". The Gleaner . Kingston, Jamaica. 4 June 1971. p. 12. Retrieved 27 October 2017 via Newspaperarchive.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  • "The Victoria Institution". The Gleaner . Kingston, Jamaica. 5 July 1905. p. 10. Retrieved 27 October 2017 via Newspaperarchive.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  • "The Victoria Hospital". The Gleaner . Kingston, Jamaica. 7 June 1892. p. 2. Retrieved 27 October 2017 via Newspaperarchive.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  • "The Victoria Hospital". The Gleaner . Kingston, Jamaica. 27 July 1893. p. 4. Retrieved 27 October 2017 via Newspaperarchive.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg