Dear Claudienne,

Recently I have been visiting, on a regular basis, my sister who is admitted to Kingston Public Hospital (KPH). There is a problem, as visitors are only allowed one hour in the morning and one and a half-hour in the evening, daily. There is no interchange allowed, so even if you wanted to split the visiting hour in two sessions and give someone else a chance to visit their loved one, it is not an option.

Recently my family members travelled from Montego Bay to visit the said sister, only to be told she already had a visitor and no negotiation was allowed. They had no alternative but to return home to Montego Bay without seeing their ailing sister.

Secondly, the security guards assigned to check the names on a long, computerised list are sometimes late and are less than adept in managing the list efficiently. It is not unusual to spend half an hour in the line waiting for your golden opportunity; by the time you arrive on the ward you would have a maximum of half an hour to spend with the individual.

While there I have encountered many people from the country or visiting the island who were faced with the same problem. My questions:-

1) What if a relative was gravely ill and wanted a last opportunity to see their loved ones? Are there no provisions made?

2) Why can’t there be an interchange of visitors in the hour assigned?

3) Why can’t there be enough security guards who read well and can ensure the process is expedited in a timely manner?

4) Why is the list not in alphabetical order? (I was told by the security guard that it is not.)

I find this situation very disturbing and am seeking your help to have this matter clarified.

VS

Dear VS,

On Monday, February 5, 2024
Tell Claudienne requested Dr Natalie Whylie, acting CEO of the Kingston Public and Victoria Jubilee hospitals, to clarify the rationale for the current visiting hours system at KPH.

On Thursday February 8, 2024 the acting CEO responded as follows:

“Thank you for contacting me.

At present the hospital has been restricting the visitors to one visitor per patient for each of the two allowed visiting periods per day. Even though the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Government have relaxed the COVID-19 protocols, at present there are increased numbers of persons with respiratory illnesses in the community at this time. Hospitalised patients are vulnerable, and as such the visitors are limited to reduce the risk of the transmission of communicable respiratory illness.

The process of managing the list by the security officers will be reviewed to ensure improved efficiency.

Best regards.”

We wish you all the best.

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