KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) has raised concerns about the state of the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in St James following the passage of Hurricane Melissa and is calling for an urgent meeting with Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton to address what it describes as a “devastated” facility.

In a letter on Friday, the JMDA said the situation at the hospital contradicts official statements made by regional health authorities.

On Tuesday, November 4, the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) issued an advisory urging pregnant women, surgical patients and those requiring cancer treatment to seek care at hospitals outside of western Jamaica, citing storm-related damage that had “temporarily affected their ability to deliver key services”.

However, on Thursday, CRH Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Charmaine Beckford-Williams stated in an interview posted on the St James Municipal Corporation’s Instagram page that “all areas of the health facility are offering reduced services following the impact of Hurricane Melissa”.

She added that the only area not operating is Cancer Treatment and said the major challenge being faced at the facility was “a shortage of water”, which she said, “if this is addressed soon, operations will continue at full speed”.

The JMDA, however, says that the CEO’s comments do not reflect the “reality on the ground”.

According to the association, assessments by its disaster response team and reports from doctors stationed at the hospital suggest that CRH remains in a “devastated state”, with “severely degraded infrastructure, flooded wards and a bed capacity reduced by more than 65 per cent”.

“Patients, including pregnant women, are reportedly being accommodated on chairs due to the lack of available beds,” the JMDA reported, adding that the conditions “have rendered the facility unsafe and have severely compromised patient care and staff welfare”.

The association also noted that even before Hurricane Melissa, healthcare workers at CRH were already functioning under “suboptimal conditions”, and the current state of the hospital has “exacerbated these issues”, leading to “deplorable working conditions that jeopardise morale, safety and service delivery”.

The JMDA is urging the Ministry of Health to take immediate action to clarify the inconsistencies between official statements and the hospital’s true condition, and to outline an actionable plan for restoring safe working and patient-care conditions.

“Our doctors are growing increasingly restive, and timely engagement is essential to prevent further deterioration in service delivery and staff welfare,” the letter warned.

The association stressed that the situation must be addressed urgently to ensure transparency and the proper allocation of resources.