Kingston, Jamaica — The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has expressed concern and outrage following the temporary closure of the accident and emergency department at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) due to chemical leak over the weekend.

“This alarming incident comes less than a month after a mould outbreak at the same facility, Jamaica’s only functional primary Type A hospital serving thousands of patients each week. The repeated disruption of critical emergency services at KPH is not only unacceptable but places lives at risk and highlights severe lapses in planning, oversight, and public communication,” said Dr Dayton Campbell, general secretary of the party in a statement on Monday.

Reports are that the accident and emergency services have since been relocated to another section of the hospital.

However, Campbell said this level of improvisation is unsustainable and emblematic of a system mismanaged with gross dereliction of the duty of care. He is now calling on the minister of health and wellness and the South East Regional Health Authority to immediately provide a detailed report on the air quality assessment conducted at KPH, including the results and recommendations made following the most recent incident.

Additionally, he demanded information on the contractor(s) responsible for recent works affecting the hospital’s infrastructure, the level of experience the contractor has with sensitive health facilities, whether they consulted with medical staff before and after completion, whether the materials and chemicals used were properly certified and approved and a clear timeline stating if full services, have resumed safely at the accident and emergency department.

“Many staff have already reported symptoms and are now being advised to seek care externally, further burdening an already stretched health system. The fact that many staff have not been properly fit-tested for N95 respirators raises further questions about workplace safety standards across the public health sector. Is this a repeat of the catastrophic failure at Cornwall Regional, which has rendered it out of service for nearly a decade? If KPH is similarly compromised, Jamaica is dangerously close to losing its two main referral hospitals, the backbone of our national emergency care system,” Campbell added.