Public hospitals accepting only emergency cases

Jamaica’s public hospitals are now mandated to care only for emergency conditions, as most hospitals are under strain due to the increase in confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases.  There is also a shortage in health care workers because of fatigue and illness from the virus. 

A press release from the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) reports that around 682 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 while 486 of those cases are positive, with 196 being suspected cases, as of Sunday 16 January.  “All our hospitals are seeing increased numbers and several of the larger hospitals are over 90 per cent capacity with some over 100 per cent. At the same time, there is an increase in admissions for other illnesses. As a result, all public hospitals are operating on emergencies only,” said Minister of Health & Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton.

Additionally, the health minister emphasizes that priority must be given to emergency cases because of the limited healthcare staff, as some have more responsibilities because of their absent coworkers, (nurses and doctors).

Some cases of emergency that arrive at hospitals include heart attack, injuries from accidents, seizures, and stroke. But many of the island’s hospitals are still under continuous pressure because of the pandemic, thus there are more patients and less health care workers. 

There is a challenge at the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon in treating all patients in a timely manner due to the burden on the health practitioners. The hospital’s Senior Medical Officer Dr Bradley Edwards admits that some of the healthcare staff reject overtime because of the stress they are undergoing with the current situation. Also, some of these workers remain sick from the coronavirus, even though many are vaccinated. 

Alia Walker (not her real name), a nurse at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), recently took sick leave as she was experiencing COVID-like symptoms. However, she thinks the symptoms are due to tiredness and the increased work hours, as the country experiences a fourth wave of the coronavirus.

Data from the May Pen Hospital shows that overall hospitalizations are low but there is an evident increase in COVID-19 patients and patients with other complications, such as non-communicable and lifestyle diseases. Some of the common lifestyle related diseases include hypertension and diabetes.

Priscilla Bert (not her real name) was recently admitted to the May Pen Hospital because of complications due to diabetes. She immediately underwent surgery to amputate her right leg as a small wound on one of her toes was infected.

The change in public hospital operations came into effect on Wednesday 19 January and as it relates to the safety of the Jamaican people and the rising COVID-19 cases, “persons should exercise discretion in going to the hospitals at this time,” says Tufton.