HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton is again expressing concern about the level of care and compassion that patients, particularly those in distress, receive in the public health sector.

Though speaking broadly on the issue, the minister was making reference to 14-year-old Anna-Shay Campbell, who died during a complicated childbirth at Spanish Town Hospital last week.

According to media reports, Anna-Shay’s mother has insisted negligence led to her daughter’s death, and recalled hospital personnel saying she had a long and hard labour.

On Wednesday, during a tour of the Spanish Town Hospital, Tufton said he grieves with the family members on their tragic loss and believes more could have been done for young Anna-Shay to lessen her distress.

“In this case, based on my interaction with the mother, I believe that more should have been done, and could have been done, to provide her at least with a level of comfort while recognising the distress that she’s in because it’s a distressing situation. But I would dare say also, generally speaking across the health system, there are too many cases where the compassionate component of understanding the grief of our citizens, our patients, is not nearly what it ought to be,” he told reporters.

He charged that medical personnel have to try a lot harder to deliver care with compassion and that management must find a way to work with the team members within the health system to ensure this aspect is improved as the Government works to enhance the physical infrastructure of facilities along with the quality of care.

In the meantime, Tufton said that as the results of the technical examination and the investigations into what transpired are awaited, he has asked the chief medical officer (CMO) at Spanish Town Hospital Dr Jacqueline Wright-James to spend some time looking at the situation “and hopefully if it needs to go to an independent panel for further assessment, we will refer that to an independent panel in order to get whatever results that are there”.

Added the health minister: “This case represents cases that have to be reported on. And so an autopsy is part of the process to determine the cause. And there will be an examination of the case and, depending on what the findings are, whatever corrective action needs to be taken would be taken, but I think the technical report is necessary to make a proper determination.”

Tufton said he has kept in touch with Anna-Shay’s mother and other family members and that he is happy her baby, who was admitted to the nursery, is doing well and that the hospital will continue to provide absolute care for the infant.

Speaking to the time frame within which the investigation into Anna-Shay’s death is expected to be completed, the CMO noted that the entity has a service level agreement in which incidents on maternal mortality, at the level of the institution, be closed within six weeks.

“That is an agreement that we have. We’re aiming to get all information and bring some closure at the level of the institution within six weeks. We are at week one,” she said.

Tufton explained that a report will be generated from the Spanish Town Hospital, but that report would have to be submitted to the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), and based on SERHA’s assessment, a determination will be made as to whether or not it goes further.