The mounting expressions of concern and criticisms, regarding the state of our public healthcare facilities, came to a crescendo last week with scathing condemnations of the perennial problems and lack of accountability within the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW). Some went as far as to call for the resignations of some managers and even the head honcho, Dr Christopher Tufton.
This precipitated fierce pushback from Dr Tufton. I was hoping that, as someone who is in charge of the health of the nation, he would have looked into and addressed the many allegations, and sought to deal with them for the sake of our suffering populace. I was disappointed when he made it all about party politics. In choosing to deal with his critics and their concerns in that manner, the real issues will never be resolved and poor Jamaicans will continue to suffer because of the many [enduring] flaws and shortfalls within our healthcare system.
In his column in The Gleaner of Tuesday, June 25, Dr Michael Abrahams reviewed concerns that have been brushed aside. In other jurisdictions, those allegations would have resulted in intervention by the Government.
Dr Abrahams spoke to the auditor general’s repeated flagging of the MOHW for awarding contracts without adhering to proper guidelines for tendering, not following procurement procedures, and not accounting for large sums of money. He gave examples pulled from the report that showed the spending of multiple millions of dollars under injudicious circumstances. Abrahams cited that infamous Market Me contract in 2020 that alleged impropriety because of who got it.
Then Dr Abrahams exhumed the contract for the storing of bodies from the Kingston Regional Hospital (KPH) in downtown Kingston, at an establishment in Spanish Town, the capitol of St Catherine, some 25 kilometres away. That business just happened to be operated by a councillor affiliated with the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). That added burden of commuting only increases the trials, tribulations and grief endured by our less fortunate citizens. There was never any substantive reason given for this managerial decision, the situation remains.
Other issues raised in the article included COVID-19 vaccine inaccuracies uttered by the minister, that inexplicable hiatus in alerting the public of neonatal deaths from bacterial infections at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital in 2022 (which denied innumerable mothers their right to be made aware of the situation there during that crisis), the [very expensive] Cornwall Regional Hospital rehabilitation conundrum, the lack of CT and MRI facilities at several of our major, high-volume, public hospitals, our very concerning 21st century maternal death statistics, and queries concerning ventilator access.
Over the years, other horrors have plagued the public health sector. The real tragedy is that, with more accountability and resultant tighter fiscal management/control, some of the existing problems can be remedied. The health of our citizens can be improved and lives can be saved. But, since this is Jamaica where politics allows many things to be easily overlooked and ignored, our people suffer needlessly.
The minister had an online chat of sorts regarding our emergency rooms (ERs). It amounted to an explanation of how they are run and, if many did not know better, it gave the impression that everything was hunky-dory. Here’s the problem. When it comes to serious medical issues, emergency rooms cannot operate in a vacuum. They require significant backup equipment and personnel. If those are not available, people will suffer and some may die.
Further, ERs are the first link in a chain of management procedures. Therefore, when a patient is seen in the ER and needs further care, here is where serious problems arise. Being able to transfer out of the ER is almost as important as being able to be seen in the ER. They are not designed to operate as regular wards; they are not designed to be holding areas. If patients are delayed in the ER, who is responsible for their medical management? People with very serious medical conditions must sometimes sit upright in chairs for days until beds on wards become available. The MOHW needs to address this ongoing problem.
Dr Tufton’s response to criticisms was unhelpful. First, it is the duty of every Opposition to seek out institutional flaws, instances of mismanagement or corruption, and criticise if necessary. Claiming that the Opposition was conjuring up the problems to seek political gain does not address any of the concerning issues and seeks to relegate them to the realm of delusion. Unfortunately for sick people, Dr Tufton only sees the criticism as a trap for him to respond. He views efforts at getting the problems attended to as maligning and discrediting the entire system, including the civil servants!
If opposition members, columnists, commentators, citizens’ groups, or individuals complain or make allegations about how the people’s money is used to run any ministry, it should not be relegated to political mischief or considered as a strategy to displace a ruling party. It must first and foremost be considered as a need to explain and/or correct management malfunctions. It must be viewed as an opportunity to better serve the people of Jamaica.
Deflections and counterpunches will not address the plethora of problems that plague our public healthcare system. In all of this, nothing constructive will be done and our people will continue to suffer horribly and needlessly.
Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com [2] and garthrattray@gmail.com [3]