SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Floyd Green, who is aspiring to win St Elizabeth South Western for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in upcoming parliamentary elections, is demanding a health audit of the Black River Hospital.

Speaking at a divisional meeting at Middle Quarters Sunday night, Green also called on Prime Minister Portia Simpson to move beyond reassignment of Fenton Ferguson as health minister and “clean the slate” in regards to top health officials.

He urged the removal of all heads of regional health authorities as well as of permanent secretary in the ministry of health, Dr Kevin Harvey and Jamaica’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Marion Bullock DuCasse.

Green told Labourites that he was shocked to discover that a health audit released last week did not include the Black River hospital.

He recalled that, during a visit to the Black River Hospital in June, he “walked around and spoke to the nurses, spoke to porters, I saw people sitting on benches, having no beds although they had been admitted to hospital”. Additionally, he said vital health equipment and inputs, including disinfectants, were in short supply.

He said he made a complaint to the Southern Regional Health Authority to no avail.

Against that background, he looked forward to the findings of the health audit report, only to discover that none had been done.

“I see them audit the Santa Cruz Health centre and there is no audit of the Black River Hospital. I was in utter shock. How can you not audit the Black River, that hospital serves all of St Elizabeth, and all of this constituency?” he said.

“I am, calling on the Ministry of Health and the Southern Regional Health Authority, I say audit the Black River hospital now,” said Green.

Green who is challenging the ruling People’s National Party’s (PNP) Hugh Buchanan for the St Elizabeth South Western seat said that in addition to the replacement of Ferguson as Health Minister, heads of the regional health authorities and top functionaries at the ministry, should also go.

He claimed the regional health authorities had failed in their duties to “pick up on problems” in their regions and correct them because they were headed by political appointees faithful to the PNP. He named Michael Stewart, head of the Southern Regional Health Authority who will contest the Manchester Southern seat for the PNP as one such.

“This Government, instead of putting capable and competent people to head the regional health authorities, they have put political workers, people who are connected to the PNP… If you want to be talking about health — you have moved Mr Ferguson — have all of the heads of the regional health authorities resign… starting with the southern Regional health authority headed by Comrade Michael Stewart. He must pack his bags and go,” said Green to prolonged applause.

“I am not stopping there, to be honest with you, as Jamaicans we must be true. As Fenton had to go, Dr Marion Bullock DuCasse you have to go and Dr Kevin Harvey you have to go… let us clean the slate …and start over…,” he said.

Speakers at the divisional meeting, including Green, Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth North Western JC Hutchinson, and the guest speaker, Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, MP for Trelawny Southern, urged Labourites to ensure a full turnout on election day.

In December 2011, then MP Chris Tufton of the JLP lost St Elizabeth South West seat by 13 votes to the PNP’s Hugh Buchanan. JLP leaders in the constituency have consistently insisted that the party lost at that time because many Labourites neglected to vote.

Platform speakers on Sunday night pointed to divisions in the PNP and open hostility to Buchanan by some Comrades as an opportunity for Labourites to induce Comrades to vote JLP.

“Since yuh nuh want Buchanan, we have Floyd Green,” said chairman of the divisional meeting, Donovan Knuckle. “Since yuh say him (Buchanan) nuh have no manners, we have a young small axe who has manners,” he added to the delight of Labourites.

Green said the “non-performance” of Buchanan over the last four years had concretised in his mind the need for constituents to be have “right of recall” for their political representatives.

— Garfield Myers