Dawes presses ministry on ventilator locations, status
Published:Tuesday | June 18, 2024 | 12:09 AMKimone Francis/Senior Staff Reporter
The Ministry of Health & Wellness is being called on to give specific details on the availability and location of just over 100 ventilators in the public system during the coronavirus pandemic, following the death of a newborn last week.
The baby, who was born premature, died at the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon last Tuesday because he could not access a ventilator.
Opposition spokesperson on health and wellness, Dr Alfred Dawes, is expressing concern regarding what he views as an effort by the health ministry to shift focus away from the critical matter of the whereabouts and operational status of more than 100 ventilators in the public health system during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last Friday, the ministry said all ventilators donated to the Government as part of the country’s COVID-19 response are accounted for and are at health facilities islandwide. It said the Southern Regional Health Authority received six ventilators, while the Western Regional Health Authority and the South East Regional Health Authority benefited from eight and 23, respectively.
It said hospitals in the North East Regional Health Authority benefited from a donation of five ventilators, while the University Hospital of the West Indies received 12.
The donations, the ministry said, added to the number of existing ventilators in the public health system, bringing the total in use to more than 100.
But Dawes said instead of providing straightforward answers, the ministry’s response appears to mislead the public into thinking the Opposition claims the ventilators were stolen.
“This disingenuous rebuttal serves no purpose other than misdirection,” he charged.
“The evidence is clear to users of the public health system that there has not been an increase of 105 ventilators as reported by the Government during press conferences about pandemic readiness. A quick Google search will show these numbers and the names of the donors as recorded by the media,” he added.
Dawes, a medical doctor, said the country urgently needs clear answers about the lifesaving machines.
He has called on the ministry to state specifically the location of the ventilators and whether they are operable.
Dawes also wants the ministry to state how many are still in storage, and how many are missing parts or disposables required for commissioning.
He also questioned whether a maintenance plan was put in place when the ventilators were commissioned to ensure they remained operational.
Further, he wants the ministry to confirm Jamaica’s actual Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity compared to the USA’s 29 ICU beds per 100,000 population, and to state the plan to upgrade ICU capacity to international standards.
“We in the medical field know that a ventilator does not equal an ICU space. However, temporarily ventilating a critically ill patient with available staff and resources can often be the only option standing between life and death. Without available ventilators, we will continue to needlessly and tragically lose patients,” Dawes said.
“More money is not the magic bullet that the ailing health sector needs. What is needed is a comprehensive reform of the entire system, with resources allocated and managed effectively, supported by built-in accountability systems.
“Until then, we will be satisfied with the answer to one question: where exactly are the ventilators?” he quizzed.
In September 2020, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton reported that there were 118 ventilators available to care for (COVID-19) patients across the island. He said this was a significant jump from the 25 previously available.
“We have coordinated procurement with our overseas partners and bilateral partners in some instances, and we now have a fairly good batch of ventilators – high-tech, brand-new – and right now, I don’t think we’re using 10 per cent of them, so we have a significant capacity as it relates to ventilators,” Tufton added.