CERTAIN public health services, including water sampling and vector control, have been scaled back due to a shortage of inspectors and motor vehicles as well as the prevalence of crime in some areas.

The disclosure about the reasons for the cutback was shared at last week Thursday’s meeting of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation’s Parish Disaster Preparedness and Public Health Committee by Medical Officer of Health Dr Alisha Robb-Allen.

According to Robb-Allen, the services of health aides have also been scaled down as a result.

Last week Thursday, People’s National Party (PNP) Councillor for the Brandon Hill Division Gareth Walker called attention to the disparity in the number of water samples tested in urban areas compared to rural communities.

He pointed out that the Kingston and St Andrew (KSA) Public Health Report for August 2017 showed that, whereas 255 samples were tested for chlorine in the city areas, there were only 39 samples tested for chlorine in rural supplies for the same period. Also, whereas in August 2017, water quality tests for bacteria were done on 244 samples in the Corporate Area, only seven tests were done on rural supplies.

Meanwhile, PNP councillor for the Maxfield Park Division Dennis Gordon argued for the public department to list, in the report, the areas from which the samples to test water quality were taken. He said that this information would help the councillors educate the communities in their divisions.

Dr Robb-Allen told the meeting that there was not enough manpower for the public health department to give more oversight to rural areas.

In the meantime, Kingston mayor Senator Delroy Williams promised the committee that he would write to the Ministry of Local Government to inform them that there were not enough public health inspectors to adequately test water quality in rural areas.

Questioned by PNP councillor for the Trench Town Division Neville Wright about vector control, Dr Robb-Allen admitted that the number of motor vehicles available is insufficient to adequately carry out this service.

She said that the KSA public health department, which at one time had 10 vehicles to visit the various areas to do inspections and carry out treatments, currently has only four vehicles.

At the meeting, Jamaica Labour Party Councillor Susan Senior questioned whether there was still a health aide programme. She said that she has not seen any health aides in her area in recent times.

In response, the medical officer told the committee that the health aide programme still exists, but was being hampered by crime in some areas. She said that, as a result of crime, the health aides were unable to visit some parts of Denham Town, for example. She said that during the Zika outbreak, for example, the public health department had partnered with security personnel to visit such areas.

“Communities can make a request for their services but our cadre of officers is severely limited,” she said.

She pointed out that ongoing education is being done in schools and at health centres.