Jamaica – Former PM Portia Simpson-Miller Gets Double Honor – NY Carib News

The Government of Jamaica recently paid tribute to former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller by naming the headquarters of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in her honour and announcing that the new Western Children and Adolescent Hospital in St James will also bear her name.

The twin recognitions celebrate Simpson Miller’s decades of public service and her historic rise as Jamaica’s first female prime minister after becoming leader of the People’s National Party in 2006. She served as the country’s seventh head of government from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2016.

Speaking at the naming and dedication ceremony for the Ministry of Labour and Social Security building at North Street in downtown Kingston, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said it was always intended that the Western Children and Adolescent Hospital would be named in Simpson Miller’s honour.

“It is only the right thing to do, it’s appropriate,” Holness stated.

The Prime Minister highlighted Simpson Miller’s role in securing support from the Chinese Government in 2014 for the development of the Western Children and Adolescent Hospital, describing her efforts as instrumental in bringing the project to fruition.

The hospital, now under construction on the grounds of Cornwall Regional Hospital, is expected to feature an eight-storey complex with 220 beds, 60 staff residential rooms, modern operating theatres, and 17 specialties and sub-specialties, including paediatric cardiology, neonatology, adolescent medicine, and critical care services. The facility is expected to be completed during the current fiscal year.

Holness also assured Jamaicans that Portia Simpson Miller Square would retain its name despite the temporary removal of signage during ongoing infrastructure work involving highway overpasses in the area.

Opposition Leader and PNP President Mark Golding praised Simpson Miller as a trailblazer whose place in Jamaica’s history remains “unique and unchallengeable.”

“She became Jamaica’s first female prime minister. She became the first president of the People’s National Party who was a woman,” Golding said. “The naming of this building after her is an important step in the right direction. She is worthy of much more.”

Golding also reflected on her 11 years as labour minister, highlighting her dedication to Jamaica’s overseas work programmes and her advocacy for the dignity and rights of Jamaican workers.

“Big up, Sister P, your legacy is solid and your delivery for Jamaica deserves every accolade,” he added, using the affectionate nickname by which Simpson Miller is widely known.

Representing the former prime minister at the ceremony was her grandniece, Alisa Magnus, who described the occasion as deeply meaningful for the family.

“I am an extremely proud niece of a most beloved aunty, who believes wholeheartedly that she is worth being celebrated and honoured in the way that she is being done today,” Magnus said.

She also shared what she believed would have been Simpson Miller’s message to Jamaicans if she had attended the event herself: “Always put country above self, always put neighbour above self, work as unto the Lord.”

Magnus concluded by reminding attendees of the signature closing words often used by the former prime minister during her speeches: “Thank you, I love you, God bless you, and God bless Jamaica, land we love.”