Parents of ailing children at the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC) in Jamaica have raised concerns about a total system breakdown, citing a shortage of bed space and staff in the nursery ward. Some parents reported a nearly 24-hour wait for a bed, with one father expressing frustration over the situation. A mother shared her distress, emphasising the urgency of providing care to her baby. The hospital, with a bed capacity of 279, is reportedly facing challenges, and parents are calling attention to the need for increased staffing and improved conditions.

Parents cry out as Bustamante Hospital faces ‘Judgment Day’

Jamaica Gleaner/4 Dec 2023/Editorial@gleanerjm.com

THE NURSERY ward at the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC), seemingly, is filled to capacity, and if the claims shared by some parents are true, they are feeling the strain as they and their ailing offspring are forced to cope with a shortage of bed space and staff.

Several angry parents contacted The Gleaner on Sunday, some next to tears, as they outlined what they said is a total system breakdown at one of the few, if not the only, specialist paediatric hospitals in the Englishspeaking Caribbean.

The near 24-hour wait for a bed for his ailing child had one father up in arms.

“A weh di bed a come from? A one day mi deh ya now. A wonder if dem know mi a get ripe ya now,” he told The Gleaner.

From there on, he urged other parents to also air their grouses.

A mother told The Gleaner that she had lost a baby at the institution previously and was not about to allow history to repeat itself.

“The baby belly a sink in and her mouth a foam froth … . Di place full and nuh bed no deh here. Mi baby woulda stay ya suh and dead,” she told The Gleaner.

“Me tell dem mek me hold the baby inna mi lap and unuh give her the medication same way… ,” the parent reasoned.

She said a nurse who came to work on Sunday, on seeing the ward full, said it was ‘judgment day’.

“She say ‘A judgment ya today’ (because) ward pack from top to bottom,” said the parent.

The Gleaner understands that 49 children, admitted at different stages, were registered as patients Saturday night into Sunday on ward four, which appeared to be understaffed.

“The doctor was telling the nurse they suppose to get four nurses tonight (Sunday) … but it probably feel the same if the admissions continue,” another parent said.

A parent who said he had to leave overnight and head back to Mandeville then return on Sunday morning said the system needs to be changed.

“As she (nurse) reach, she say, ‘We (the medical staff ) need a miracle’,” the father said.

STAFF BURNT OUT

A BHC nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said staff was burnt out.

“When mi see the ward full mi say, ‘Wah kinda stress dis dem send mi inna … mi can’t manage da ward ya … judgment ward this!” The nurse said with the sound of babies crying inconsolably in the background.

A parent said some of the doctors were telling them that they should utilise the services of the University Hospital of the West Indies.

“One doctor was saying that staff should come in and she would take a pay cut. She just need the staff,” the mother said.

The hospital, according to the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), has a bed capacity of 279.

Just last Thursday, as he addressed the anniversary of Chain of Hope Jamaica on the grounds of the hospital, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton acknowledged that expansion of the facility was long overdue.

“Busta is due for some expansion, and I am told that we need another 100 beds, and there is a conversation that’s taking place around that. The ICU (intensive care unit) needs expansion. There is a conversation taking place around that, and I am hoping it will happen soon because it is well overdue, and we will need to ensure that we fast-track that.”

Yesterday, the parents said they wanted the matter to come to public attention so that the doctors get the help they need in terms of staff complement and parents won’t have to endure delays that may sometimes lead to fatalities.

“Mi a look through the window this morning and baby turn cross way the bed … another one a use the cord a wrap round him neck. Is a parent call to the nurse,”a parent told The Gleaner.

Efforts to speak to Tufton proved unsuccessful as several calls to his cell phone went unanswered yesterday.

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