Children abandoned - Five young ones among 60 patients deserted by relatives

Four of the five children abandoned at the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine have spent their entire lives at the facility, a situation Chief Executive Officer Jacqueline Ellis says is unacceptable.

The latest child – a male who is one and a half years old – has remained at the hospital 11 months after being discharged.

Hospital records show that four of the children – whose ages range from 10 months to two and a half years old – were left by their parents shortly after birth to be adopted.

The other child was left there for “care and protection”.

“There are challenges because children need interaction. They are among patients who come in and out, and so there is no stability in terms of being home, seeing other siblings, other friends or relatives to interact with. That definitely affects any child at a hospital for so long,” Ellis told The Gleaner.

“It’s the hospital that looks after these children and babies. They are on the paediatric ward, so we care for them just as we care for the other patients ... . We have to buy diapers, we have to buy wipes. We have to buy their meals, everything,” she disclosed.

Children abandoned at public hospitals have their cases reported to the police, hospital social worker, and the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA).

CPFSA is to assess the child and place them in temporary safe care, often considered a children’s home, foster care, or with approved relatives.

Their case, in the meantime, is routed through the Family Court for a care and protection order.

The timeline is approximately six weeks for newborns and 48 hours for older children. During this time, the child usually remains on the paediatric ward of the hospital.

Only the CPFSA can legally place children. The agency manages long-term placement through reunification, foster care, or adoption.

“CPFSA is aware; our social workers have been working assiduously to get them (children) to the right places. The relevant state agencies are fully aware, in particular CPFSA,” Ellis said.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said greater coordination is needed with state agencies that deal with child protection and adoption/fostering.

“There is a need for a multi-agency approach. The Government is looking at it. I have spoken about it, but I think it’s important that the public is aware that it is currently a problem; and it does affect our ability to provide bed space and take away resources, to the extent that we are supporting care in infirmaries from actual core health activity,” he said.

“We are working with our colleague ministries – Local Government, in particular – to find a solution to those who are genuinely infirm. Space is the challenge. We have supported expansion and ongoing support,” he added.

He said the ministry is pursuing avenues that can result in social cases being relocated, but stressed that Jamaica’s laws do not give it the authority to be aggressive in instances where family members abandon their loved ones.

He argued that existing laws need to be strengthened on this, noting that for children this could ensure a faster way of transitioning into state care.

“I will take it to Cabinet for discussions and, hopefully, decisions on the way forward,” he said, adding that the current arrangement takes away from the mandate providing healthcare for those who need it.

Hospital records show that Spanish Town has 61 social cases in total, including a 20-year-old mentally and physically disabled woman who has been at the hospital for seven years.

The hospital, according to a document seen by The Gleaner, spends $5.2 million monthly to care for those they have discharged and are caring for at a nearby infirmary.

A breakdown showed that the hospital spends $2.7 million monthly for six patient care assistants, four enrolled assistant nurses and two attendants to attend to social cases.

Equipment, medical supplies and toiletries amount to $1.5 million, while janitorial services, through JACDEN, costs $1 million.

“It is my opinion that we really shouldn’t be managing any resident at the infirmary. Yes, they were admitted to Spanish Town and we send them across [when discharged] once beds become available. However, I don’t believe the hospital should be responsible for those residents because they are no longer patients,” she said.

Further, the CEO said those who are discharged but remain at the hospital occupy bed spaces, prevent patients from being admitted.

“Most of the complaints you get about Spanish Town Hospital are that patients are aiting two days and three days in a chair because of lack of beds. So by virtue of that, [social cases] impact patients getting to wards in a timely manner,” said Ellis.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com