What started as a dengue update from Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton quickly turned contentious, as Opposition spokesman on health Dr Alfred Dawes delivered a sharp rebuke, accusing the minister of deflecting from wider controversies engulfing the health ministry.

“…With all due respect to the member from [St Catherine] West Central, this is really not what Jamaica wanted to hear from him today,” Dawes said in reference to Tufton.

He argued that the minister’s statement failed to address the mounting concerns surrounding his ministry’s management and transparency, suggesting that the Government’s handling of health matters had become overshadowed by controversy.

Dawes seized on the recently tabled Integrity Commission (IC) report — the one investigating contracts awarded to Market Me Consulting Limited — using its findings as proof, he said, of systemic procurement flaws in the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

“What has happened over the last week is that the honourable minister has been on a media tour, deflecting from what is pertinent — his management of the Ministry of Health and Wellness,” Dawes charged, drawing murmurs across the chamber.

He criticised the condition of the country’s mental health facilities, arguing that the rebranding of Bellevue Hospital, Jamaica’s main psychiatric institution, has done little to improve conditions for patients.

“There are questions as to how we are really dealing with mental health in Jamaica, and the renaming and rebranding of a hospital that has overcrowded patients, and no capital budget for about five years coming from the Ministry of Health with previous announcements about de-stigmatisation going back as far as from 2019 by the honourable minister; where residents are not growing their food at the Bellevue Hospital because of therapy, but because of sustenance, because the food budget has been cut,” he said.

The St Catherine South Eastern Member of Parliament also questioned the pace of key infrastructure projects, including the long-delayed rehabilitation of Cornwall Regional Hospital in St James and the construction of the new children’s hospital. Both projects, he argued, symbolise the Government’s repeated failure to deliver on its promises.

“We are seeing where announcements are made that the delay at the Cornwall Regional Hospital will not be as great as it was predicted to be. We are seeing discussions finally about forensic psychiatry being addressed. We are hearing about the mental health challenges that ought to be seriously dealt with by the Ministry of Health, but responsibilities being pushed backed on the public,” he added.

Dr Dawes described the ministry’s approach as one marked by “no accountability and deflection”, claiming that critics are often met with hostility rather than answers.

Turning his attention to University Hospital of the West Indies, Dawes called for clarity on what he described as “direct ministerial interference” in the composition of its board. He suggested that if forthcoming reports confirm the allegations of procurement breaches and financial irregularities, the implications could be far-reaching.

“If what is out there is true, then whatever we have been asking about in terms of clarity, in terms of breaches of procurement guidelines, in terms of outright fraud and misrepresentation, overpaying for equipment, then we will see whether or not this situation at the University Hospital will lead further to it,” he said.

When he rose to reply, Dr Tufton appeared unbothered by the barrage of criticism. With a faint smile, he dismissed Dawes’ comments as political theatre.

“I would like to say that the member seems to be practising for the next general election. This election is done, the people have spoken and we are on this side,” Tufton retorted, prompting laughter from the Government benches.

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton responds to Dr Dawes’ statement on Tuesday in the House of Representatives.