MANDEVILLE, Jamaica — Opposition leader Dr Peter Phillips has expressed concern that the absorption of the CHASE Fund into the Consolidated Fund could diminish the ability of hospitals to deliver health service.

A People’s National Party (PNP) release today said Phillips raised his concerns after a tour of the Mandeville Regional Hospital yesterday.

Phillips said putting the CHASE Fund into the general public purse could see less finances being allocated to take care of the health services, which are already in need of intensive resuscitation.

“The seriousness of the situation is not lost on us in the Opposition. We certainly hope that our worst fears are not realised because this could be the difference between life and death for many Jamaicans,” he added.

The PNP president reportedly visited several departments at the hospital, meeting with staff and greeting patients.

The release said Phillips and his team were informed that the 140-year-old hospital, which was refurbished 17 years ago, has outgrown its original design as the demand for services and the nature of some of the services have evolved substantially.

One such evolution is that the hospital has become a teaching institution, accepting student nurses from Knox Community College, Northern Caribbean University and University of the West Indies.