OPM retracts statement national partners confident in health minister

The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has retracted a statement issued earlier this afternoon saying members of the Partnership for Jamaica National Council today expressed confidence in Fenton Ferguson’s ability to lead ministry.

In the statement, the OPM had said while expressing confidence in Ferguson’s ability to lead the activities of the Health Ministry, the partners contended that there was an issue of perception that needed to be addressed by way of issuing the health report sooner than next week as originally planned.

Ferguson has been under immense pressure over the handling of the deaths of 19 babies at the University Hospital of the West Indies and the Cornwall Regional Hospital.

The minister was in attendance at the meeting of the Partnership for Jamaica National Council which comprises the Government; trade unions; the private sector; and civil society groups.

President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, William Mahfood, who was also at the meeting said partners told Ferguson that while he had recorded some achievements, the handling of the dead babies scandal has overshadowed them.

During the meeting Simpson Miller instructed Ferguson to publish the  public sector health audit tomorrow.

It was expected that the audit would have been released after Ferguson’s address to the nation on Sunday.

"It is important to release the audit at this time. There is no attempt on the part of the Government to cover up anything," Simpson Miller is quoted as saying.