AMIDST unrelenting public pressure, health minister Dr Fenton Ferguson is expected to release the full report of the audit of the status of public health facilities today, instead of Sunday as was originally planned.

Dr Ferguson had announced on Tuesday that he would release the full report following a national broadcast, but yesterday in a surprise move Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said she had directed him to make the document public today.

The Jamaica Observer understands that Simpson Miller’s reaction came as a result of nudging and concerns from participants at a Partnership for Jamaica National Council meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister at which herself and the health minister were present.

This is the first intervention from the prime minister in the over two months of public discourse on the audit and the clamour for the gory details.

“The decision follows discussions with members of the Partnership for Jamaica National Council…. The report will be published on the website of the Ministry of Health and made available to the media,” the OPM said in a press release.

“The partners contended that there was an issue of perception that needed to be addressed by way of issuing the report sooner than the originally planned release next week,” the release added.

The council comprises the Government; trade unions; the private sector; and civil society, which includes representatives from the church, women’s organisations, human rights, and environmental groups, and the youth.

Meanwhile, the OPM was forced to retract a statement in the first issue of the release that the council members had expressed “confidence in Dr Ferguson’s ability to lead the activities of the Health Ministry”.

In September, the health minister opted to release only a summary of the report from the audit which he himself commissioned in May of this year as concerns heightened over the deplorable conditions in public health facilities. The minister and his team argued that full disclosure would cause some institutions to be stigmatised, and negatively affect staff morale. Since then, there have been calls from the Opposition and the public for the full report to be revealed.

According to the summary of the audit, major “non-conformances” found include inadequate systems and infrastructure for infection prevention and control, a situation made worse by a shortfall in critical personal protective equipment such as plastic aprons used to prevent contact with waste or body fluids.

The probe further found that there is inadequate hand hygiene practise; inadequate and inconsistent supply of drugs and sundries; not enough linen, including gowns; non-functional and insufficient number of equipment; and a lax in stock management and record-keeping of critical needs lists.

All four regional health authorities were audited with special focus on maternity, operating theatreS, neonatal units, intensive care and accident and emergency.