Opposition wants urgent action as KPH air-conditioning issues again impacting surgeries

Opposition Spokesman on Health and Wellness Dr Alfred Dawes is calling for decisive action to address recurring infrastructure issues at Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) amid disruptions to surgeries.

On Sunday, the management of Kingston Public Hospital indicated that surgical services at the facility continue to be disrupted because of challenges with the central air-conditioning system serving two operating theatres.

The South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) said the faults have led to delays in the scheduling and completion of elective surgeries across multiple specialties.

“The management team at KPH fully recognises the impact these delays have had on our patients and their families, particularly those awaiting elective surgical procedures,” said KPH Chief Executive Officer Dwayne Francis in a statement issued by SERHA.

He added: “We understand the anxiety, inconvenience, and disruption that postponed surgeries may cause, and we sincerely apologise to all affected individuals for the challenges experienced during this period.”

Dawes, in a statement on Monday, said these longstanding issues need to be addressed.

“We are witnessing the same crisis, the same pattern, and the same inadequate response. Surgeries are being cancelled. Lifesaving medical missions hang in the balance. And once again, our staff and our patients are paying the price for a government that refuses to do the work.”

The opposition spokesman accused the Ministry of Health of not doing enough to implement permanent fixes to the problems.

“This is not crisis management; this is crisis patching dressed up as competence.”

He stated that operating theatre failures have a cascading effect throughout the health system, citing issues such as growing surgical backlogs that leave patients waiting in pain; staff working under conditions that compromise both their safety and clinical outcomes; lifesaving interventions being postponed or cancelled; and the erosion of public confidence in health institutions.

“The root causes are systemic: malfunctioning air-conditioning units, mould infiltration, and infrastructure that has been neglected so thoroughly that patch jobs have become the default response,” charged Dawes.

Dawes is calling on the government to commit to definitive remedial work.

“The Jamaican people deserve more than promises. They deserve operating theatres that are safe, functional, and staffed by people who are not working under threat. They deserve a Ministry of Health that invests in permanence, not performance.”

To this end, he said the opposition wants to see, among other things, an independent assessment of the hospital's infrastructure, the allocation of adequate resources for definitive corrective work, and the restoration of surgical services to full capacity with confirmed safety protocols.

“Our operating theatres should not be a recurring crisis. They should be the foundation of our health system. It is time to stop the cycle. It is time to do the work.”

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.