The Children’s Hospital, now the Bustamante Hospital for Children, was a by-product of Independence from Great Britain which Jamaica gained in 1962.  The then Prime Minister, Sir Alexander Bustamante, and the Minister of Health saw the need for a Children’s Hospital and decided that  the Military Hospital at Up Park Camp, which had been handed over to the new Government, would most usefully serve the country by being used as a Hospital for Children. After a year of modernizing and refurbishing, the Children’s Hospital was ready for occupancy. Traditional white walls had been replaced by pastel shades, and paintings were donated to the wards by generous and interested artists and private individuals. The most famous of these works is the sculpture “Mother and Child” executed by Edna Manley.

Planning for the removal of children from the Paediatric Ward at Kingston Public Hospital to the new Children’s Hospital took several weeks. On November 6th, 1963 , “Operation Departure” from K.P.H. and “Operation Arrival” at the Children’s Hospital was co-ordinated by Dr Leila Wynter-Weddeburn. Dr. Wynter-Wedderburn felt that transporting the patients in ambulances would be very traumatic and instead arranged for a number of her friends to assist with the transfer of the children. These ladies hand-carried the children in cars, driven by their husbands and friends, and successfully met the dead-line of 12:30 p.m., a target time which had been set by the Minister of Health.

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The transfer was handled so smoothly, and successfully, that the participating ladies were thrilled to be part of such a historic event, and they decided to assist the Doctors and Nurses to settle into their new environment. One of the ladies, Mrs. Peter Nicholas, a Mexican national and the wife of then Manager of Woolworth, had been associated with a group of volunteers who had undertaken to improve the condition of the Mexican children’s hospital “Infantil de Mexico”. She encouraged the other ladies to form a group “Friends of the Children’s Hospital” and become officially affiliated.

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In 1977  the hospital was renamed “The Bustamante Hospital for Children “ by  the Honourable Michael Manley,  Prime Minister of Jamaica,  in honour of the late Sir Alexander Bustamante , for his contribution toward making the hospital a reality. Subsequently, the name “Friends of Bustamante Hospital for Children” was adopted by the Friends. Lady Gladys Bustamante was named Patron of the Bustamante Hospital, a position she occupied until her death in 2009.

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Over the past fifty years the Friends of BHC, have provided much needed assistance to the Hospital in many vital areas when limited “official” resources were unable to meet all demands, such as support for the hospital’s nutrition programme and over-time payments to nurses. In addition, the Friends constructed an Intensive Care Unit, provided a stand-by Generator, undertook the refurbishing of various areas of the hospital (including re-roofing after Hurricane Gilbert), and establishing Ward 3 to accommodate burns and plastic surgery. We established a multi-denominational chapel, St. Mary the Virgin, at the Hospital and started the Learning & Activity Centre, and we have assisted with its ongoing upkeep and outfitting over the years. In association with the Kiwanis Club of North St. Andrew the Friends constructed a 12-studio apartment hostel on the grounds of the Hospital to be used by nurses and specialist staff. The Friends have also donated a fifteen (15) seat bus for the transportation of staff.

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The Friends of Bustamante Hospital have hosted annual fund-raising events as well as Friends and Staff Mixers throughout the years, and have contributed to the medical and social needs of the Hospital Patients and Staff.

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We are very grateful to Corporate Jamaica and the many other Jamaicans and non-Jamaicans, locally and overseas, who have supported the activities of the Friends over the past fifty five years.

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We pledge to continue to be FRIENDS OF BUSTAMANTE HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN, always aware of the responsibilities of being a true “FRIEND”. “We believe that a good health service is vital to a Nation’s growth and this should begin with the care of our children.” This is the philosophy under which we advance our mandate of giving needed assistance to BHC both socially and financially.