LUCEA, Hanover — With two team members asking for transfers last month, Medical Officer of Health for Hanover Dr Kaushal Singh has warned that he is having a hard time retaining staff because they are fed up with having to endure the parish’s bad roads.

“How long can I get them to stay? The roads are not good. I cannot retain my officers in the parish if all these conditions are not sorted out,” he told the last monthly general meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC).

Dr Singh thanked his team members for their outstanding work and achievements despite the challenges faced. He said he too has suffered from the state of the roads so he knows their complaints are not unfounded and highlighted the potential implications for people seeking medical care.

“Think of it, if an expectant mother has an emergency in the night or something happens — and time is a factor here — she cannot reach the hospital [in Lucea] on time. That is very detrimental for her health,” stated Dr Singh who emphasised that the road conditions are preventing people from reaching their destination on time.

He told the group of locally elected representatives that he has brought the issue to the attention of Members of Parliament for Hanover western and eastern.

The Dias Maternity Centre is among the parish’s clinics impacted by poor road conditions. The Dias Clinic Hill community road falls under the responsibility of the municipal corporation.

On Tuesday, one Dias Clinic Hill resident, who gave his name as Junior, described the treacherous journey he has witnessed, on more than one occasion, of pregnant women being transported by motorcycle. The bikes, he said, usually skid while trying to navigate the pothole-riddled road. He said the women, who were pillions, managed to escape injury after the front of the motorcycles lifted in the air.

“It [the bike] is railing up and they have their big bellies. So they almost dropped off,” explained Junior.

He said the road started deteriorating approximately two years ago.

“We did put some stones and things in it for it to be better, but that can’t manage it. We want better asphalt,” stated the young man.

One woman from the community, who declined to be identified by name, said she has been a victim of the pothole-riddled road as she fell after twisting her ankle some time ago.

She said some expectant mothers stay away from the clinic because of the state of the road.

“Sometimes [drivers of] bikes and cars say they cannot come up here because the road is bad,” she said.

The resident told the Observer that some women who live in the area have to travel approximately six miles to the Lucea Health Centre.

These concerns are shared by Mayor of Lucea Sheridan Samuels who has long been expressing concern about the bad roads. During the monthly meeting he said the negative impact it is having on the health department is clear. The mayor urged his peers to act.

“We need councillors to lobby. We have to reach out to the authorities, in terms of the central government, through the Member of Parliament because the roadways are really affecting us,” Samuels said.

According to him, in addition to residents and businesses, critical services such as the Jamaica Fire Brigade and National Solid Waste Management Authority have also complained of challenges because the roads need fixing.

Hopewell main road and the Seawall main road in Lucea are among the roads which he said need urgent attention.

The Seawall road, which has been fixed more than three times since the start of the year, is a major contributor to traffic jams within the town of Lucea, especially during frequent rainfall.

Mayor Samuels, who claimed he has lost confidence in the National Works Agency’s (NWA) ability to address the issue, has suggested that the chief engineer from the HMC’s Roads and Works Department has the expertise to fix the problem. In a tongue-in-cheek comment, he suggested that the corporation’s superintendent be placed on the NWA’s board.

The mayor also expressed concern that under the Emergency Assistance and Community Help (REACH), and Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) programmes, central government is usurping the responsibility of locally elected representatives.

At the same time, he complained that allocations received by the HMC are not enough to properly maintain parochial roads.