Dr Dawes calls for end to ‘patch and pray’ approach to surgical infrastructure collapse
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition Spokesman on Health and Wellness, Dr Alfred Dawes, on Monday called for urgent and decisive action to address what he described as the “critical failure of surgical services” at two of Jamaica’s leading public health institutions.
Dawes said operating theatres at Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) and Bustamante Hospital for Children remain out of service due to recurring infrastructure failures, resulting in cancelled surgeries and disruptions to patient care.
“We are witnessing the same crisis, the same pattern and the same inadequate response,” Dawes said. “Surgeries are being cancelled. Lifesaving medical missions hang in the balance. And once again, our staff and our patients are paying the price for a government that refuses to do the work.”
His comments followed a statement from KPH indicating that efforts were underway to resolve air-conditioning problems that had delayed surgical procedures.
READ: Plans to fix old A/C units well advanced amid surgery disruptions, says KPH
Dawes argued that the current shutdown reflects a recurring cycle of infrastructure failures and temporary fixes by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. He pointed to concerns he raised in 2025 regarding operating theatre failures at Bustamante Hospital for Children, claiming that the ministry’s response focused on relocating selected cases to the University of the West Indies rather than addressing the root causes of the problem.
According to Dawes, the lack of lasting remediation has contributed to the present situation.
He also accused the ministry of initially downplaying the seriousness of a mould issue discovered in operating theatres and the intensive care unit at KPH. Dawes said authorities had promised a reopening within two weeks but ultimately implemented only cosmetic measures without confirming comprehensive mould remediation.
He claimed that no definitive corrective work followed, noting that while services resumed, the theatres have since been closed again.
“This is not crisis management,” Dawes said. “This is crisis patching up dressed up as competence.”
