THREE weeks after allegedly being beaten by a district constable, 47-year-old Oneil Williams is still unable to get an X-ray done as a result of public hospitals only accepting emergency cases.

As Williams continues to wait, virtually unattended, Dr Lincoln Wright, community-based physician and surgeon at Port Maria Medical Centre, has become furious, after he said Williams was denied treatment at Port Maria Hospital last week.

According to the veteran doctor, Williams is also in dire need of a CT (omputerised tomography) scan and has developed double vision in his right eye.

“This man was injured, allegedly, by an agent of the State from January 14. We are now in February and it is unbelievable that he can’t get some remedy, some assistance from the government hospital,” Wright lamented to the Jamaica Observer, after he decided to treat the injured man without charge at the request of his relatives.

“They are only dealing with emergencies but this man had head injuries and he has double vision now; before the head injuries he didn’t have any double vision. So, he does not only need X-ray, he needs a CT scan of the brain. When you put your finger before the right eye and ask him to close the left eye, he is seeing two fingers,” he said.

Williams, a father of one, told the Sunday Observer that he had a dispute with a cousin on the night of January 14 in their Rock River community. Williams said his cousin pulled a knife at him, and in defence he picked up two stones off the ground.

He said it was not long after that the district constable, whom he named as Roberts, and who is said to be in a romantic relationship with his aunt, got involved, beating him badly on three separate occasions that same night.

Williams related his ordeal, detailing multiple hits to the head and face with a handcuff, being kick to the chest and being dragged on the ground by the district constable.

Last week the Inspectorate and Professional Standards Oversight Bureau (IPROB) launched an investigation following the claims.

But Dr Wright said Williams needs to be attended to as soon as possible.

“I can’t tell you what are going to be the complications but he has to find out what is the cause of the double vision. We want to find out if it is due to trauma,” Dr Wright told the Sunday Observer.

Port Maria Hospital issued Williams an X-ray requisition for a “skull or orbital” X-ray, days after the incident, which stated: “post altercation… blow to the region” for clinical data.

“When he came to me on January 31 with the X-ray requisition card from, I sent him to Port Maria Hospital. He went to Port Maria Hospital this morning [Friday] and they said they can’t do it because they are only dealing with emergencies. That is not good enough.

“They are saying he should come back because they are only dealing with emergencies, and frankly speaking, they are not doing many more X-rays at this time at the hospital because of the pandemic. It’s just because there was a ruling from Kingston and they are following that instruction at the Port Maria Hospital,” Dr Wright lamented.

Dr Wright further critisised the operation of local public health facilities amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“The problem is that in most of the public hospitals, the persons who should be trained in hospital management and hospital administration are not there. All that person would have to do, knowing the situation, realising the situation and say ‘Although we are dealing with emergencies, let us try to help this man.’ They need to have somebody who is triaging even the X-ray department to see what they can do. It shouldn’t be blanket emergencies only. It’s not that the hospital is overwhelmed by X-rays,” he said.

On January 18 the Ministry of Health and Wellness announced that effective Wednesday, January 19, Jamaica’s public hospitals will be restricted to conducting emergency care services only.

This came after several of the island’s public hospitals faced increased pressure due to the growing number of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases. The ministry also reported decreased staff coverage as many health-care workers continue to be out sick.