Clergy decry hospital suffering 

WESTERN BUREAU

Declaring that "many of our people are dying" because of a lack of medical attention,” Reverend Glendon Powell, the chairman of the St James Ministers Fraternal, is taking Jamaica's public healthcare system to task over what he considers its various failures.  

Powell was particularly harsh about the situation at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, pointing to lengthy wait times, shortages of doctors and nurses, overcrowded facilities and inadequate ambulance services.

Powell, who was addressing a press conference last Wednesday, said members of the clergy across St James are increasingly hearing complaints from residents frustrated with the level of care being delivered by the public health system.

"We hear the cries of the people every day. Many are suffering unnecessarily. People go to the hospital seeking relief and instead encounter greater pain, frustration and uncertainty," said Powell, noting that a close relative of his recently had a bad experience while seeking healthcare. 

"Today I would have been in mourning if I did not take a proactive action. I went to the hospital from 20 minutes to nine with my niece with a very critical situation, and when she went there it was not dealt with as an emergency," said Powell. "I stood there from 20 minutes to nine until 2:20 a.m. when I got up and went to the desk to talk to the lady about the matter. I said, ‘Tell me, when will I get through?’ She said, ‘Sir, not until about 6:00 a.m’.”

"I had to make an executive decision with her husband, to let us bring her home, let her get some rest, and get her on the plane the next morning,” continued Powell. “By the time she reached Florida, seven doctors were around her. She went into the ICU (intensive care unit). Today, my niece is alive and well.”

Powell also questioned the level of emergency medical resources available in St James as it relates to ambulances.

"There are only two ambulances I understand that are working in St James right now, and all the different places are calling the two ambulances, so when they tell you that ‘We will come soon’, it may be tomorrow morning," he said.

"We have a shortage of nurses, and we have shortage of doctors. We have doctors in our congregation, nurses in our congregation, we can't see them sometimes, sometimes all three days consecutively they are at work. How can people work with such a tired mind dealing with people, it is ridiculous,” he said.

Immediate past chairman of the fraternal, Reverend Davwin Thomas, said the members of the clergy recognised the significant investments being made in the health sector but maintained that serious challenges remain.

"We recognise the efforts which are being put into the healthcare system. For example, the National Health Fund (NHF), and many poor Jamaicans, and even middle-class ones have benefited from the NHF. Coupled with that, I think there is a high level of competency with our doctors and nurses. We recognise the tremendous efforts which are being put in to make Cornwall Regional Hospital a place that we all can be proud of."

However, Thomas said lengthy waiting periods continue to cause hardship for patients.

"A hospital is a place where we go to relieve our suffering. It's very hard to go there and to encounter greater suffering," he said. 

"We see elderly people who have served this country for years, and they are sitting on chairs for three consecutive nights, and sometimes when they get weary, they just lay on the floor."

Thomas also raised questions about whether Jamaica's free healthcare model is financially sustainable, suggesting policymakers examine possible alternatives, including modest user fees or greater utilisation of health insurance coverage.

Secretary of the fraternity, Reverend Godfrey Francis, said the leadership of the various denominations and faith-based ministries are constantly confronted by stories of hardship from residents seeking medical care.

"We get these cries every day as ministers. We face it every day. Every day, people are crying, and we see the suffering, and we hear it. We are saying people must not be able to say, 'I don't want to go to that place’," he said.

The St James Ministers’ Fraternal is a prominent Christian fellowship and advocacy group based in Montego Bay. It functions as a network of pastors and church leaders from various denominations who come together to promote unity and address social issues.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com