KINGSTON, Jamaica – Opposition Spokesman on Health Horace Dalley has described the response of the Minister of Health, Dr Christopher Tufton, in relation to the death of the babies at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital as disappointing. 

In a news release Monday, Dalley also expressed concern about the full make-up of the team put in place by Tufton to investigate the deaths of the babies at the hospital.

“While the members of the team are competent and dedicated public servants in their own right, it is unfair for them to lead this investigation, as they are the same ones who will have to take corrective actions based on the findings of the investigation,” Dalley stated.

He also noted what he termed as shortsightedness on the part of the minister, not to have included an independent neonatologist and a public health specialist on the team to do the investigation.

“Last year when there was a similar situation, within 48 hours the then minister had requested the assistance of PAHO, to assess the islands nurseries and give a fulsome report and the PAHO team arrived in Jamaica within another 48 hours,” Dalley lamented, adding that Jamaica is a fully paid up member of PAHO and as such, the minister of health should have asked them to do the investigation.

Dalley reiterated that such a request would not have been an indictment on the competence of the local personnel, who he said are “highly qualified and dedicated public servants”, maintaining that lessons learnt must be put to good use in improving the nation’s health care without it being politicised.