Young Jamaica urges PM to fire ‘political hacks’ in health sector
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Young Jamaica, the youth arm of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), has accused the governing People’s National Party (PNP) and its youth arm, the PNP YO, of “gross indifference and insensitivity” surrounding the deaths of 18 infants at two major public hospitals.
Read: 42 infected babies at 2 hospitals; 18 dead“What we’ve been witnessing since last Friday is an unacceptable attempt to bury this tragedy in cold medical jargon and statistics. These children are not just statistics. They are Jamaicans who were every bit deserving of the care and protection that any of us would expect. The over reliance on the fact that they were born premature suggests a certain disregard for the lives lost. It is unacceptable and insensitive in the extreme to continue to deal with these deaths as mere statistics,” Young Jamaica said in a media release Saturday.The youth organisation said it is particularly concerned that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has not yet publicly demanded accountability for the deaths of these children.”We’re asking the Prime Minister, who will be held responsible for this gross negligence? Leading medical personnel have already admitted that this tragedy could have been prevented.“…The prime minister has rightly demanded better protection for the nation’s children. Now is an opportunity to match the strength of her rhetoric with clear and decisive actions,” said Young Jamaica. “The PNP wants to talk about removing politics from health care? Well let’s start the process by firing all the political hacks appointed to senior managerial positions in the sector. Senator Marlene Malahoo Forte has been calling for this for months. Let’s start there,” it added.