AN online petition launched by a father in January calling for a 24-hour visiting policy for parents of patients at Bustamante Hospital for Children in St Andrew has overshot and nearly doubled the 15,000 signature needed for it to be reviewed and responded to by the Office of the Prime Minister.

Up to February 26 the online appeal, one of several on the Jamaica House Petition portal, had received only two signatures, but it gained traction following a report by the Jamaica Observer with the number of signatures jumping to 21,112 or 140.75 per cent of the goal by Wednesday.

The father in his plea had poignantly described the “dread” faced by parents at the end of visiting hours at the institution which scores of readers attested to.

“Parents are not able to attend to their child on the ward after visiting hours. We are forced to leave our children [ranging from newborn to 12 years] at the institution, which is understaffed with a low baby-to-nurse ratio in each ward.

“I have seen parents leaving the hospital in tears and discomfort knowing the nurses and staff will not be able to attend to their babies as they should; their attention has to be divided between the million tasks they have a day,” said the father, who is not named on the petition.

“I believe allowing at least one parent to be able to stay 24 hours could mitigate this issue. I was informed that before COVID this privilege was extended to the parents. COVID-19 had a major outbreak in Jamaica and around the world which should be taken very seriously due to the magnitude of the sickness/disease; however, this was three to four years ago. The outbreak isn’t as life-threatening as it initially was, many Jamaicans have been vaccinated and would take the necessary precautions to keep their babies safe if allowed on the wards,” he continued.

In detailing an experience in which a child cried for more than half-hour before being attended to by a nurse even after being alerted by a parent, the father said, “I understand that the nurses cannot look at every baby at once; this is another reason for allowing the parents to be there 24 hours and aid them with care of the baby, which is important.”

He continued: “The University Hospital of the West Indies hospital has a 24-hour visiting time that allows parents to stay overnight with their babies. Why can’t the Bustamante Hospital for Children extend the same privilege to parents? I am a concerned father who believes parents or guardians must be allowed to stay on the ward with their child overnight with a 24-hour visiting time, for it will lift the burdens off the overworked and understaffed practitioners. Additionally, this will allow both patients and parents to be less stressed and mentally drained while treatment is being done,” he ended.

The petition, which was launched on January 31, will close on April 30.

The parent’s call comes even as an overnight parent suite, for which ground was broken in July of 2021 at the hospital, is yet to come on stream. The facility, which was originally intended to house a paediatric cardiac ward and overnight parent suite, was being developed by the National Housing Trust (NHT) in partnership with the National Health Fund and South East Regional Health Authority at a cost of approximately $120 million.

The development however, stalled last year after a fallout between NHT and contractor.

The NHT, in response to queries directed to it on behalf of the Observer by Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, said the promised wing for parents to overnight will be completed by this September. According to the NHT, the project is currently 80 per cent complete.

The entity said tiling works for the facility are 85 per cent complete; installation of internal partition walls 60 per cent complete; installation of windows 80 per cent complete; electrical installation 30 per cent complete; plumbing installation 95 per cent complete; and external works involving parking area, sewage manholes, ramps and steps 15 per cent complete.

“The progress of the works would have been impacted by the inclement weather in the past year and labour shortage. Based on our February 19th site meeting, some issues surrounding labour force were to be further addressed, but we anticipate that the project will progress as scheduled,” the NHT stated.

In 2015 then senior medical officer at the facility, Dr Michelle Ann Richards-Dawson, told the Observer that there was great need for temporary housing for family members of patients admitted to the hospital, especially those diagnosed with cancer.

“We have a limited overnight facilities room but it is not adequate to meet the demands,” she said then, as she noted that family members who reside outside of the Corporate Area struggle to afford the daily transportation cost to visit children who are admitted at the hospital for long periods of time.

The Bustamante Hospital for Children is the only specialist paediatric hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean. It caters to the medical needs of children in Jamaica and neighbouring Caribbean countries from zero to 12 years.