Dear Editor,

Recently nurses at University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) staged a mass protest which evoked a range of emotions, including empathy.

They protesters complained about staff shortage, long hours, lack of supplies and other resources, as well as overcrowding of the facility. These complaints have fallen on deaf ears for years without tangible steps aimed at improvement.

We’ve heard of patients being kept in the Accident & Emergency Department for days due to shortage of beds on the wards at the hospital.

In a podcast interview, Dr Michael Abrahams stated that none of the public hospitals in the island have a functional machine for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and Bustamante Children’s Hospital does not have a CT (computed tomography) scan.

Dr Abrahams added that the maternity mortality rate last year was much higher than in the 1980s. And we wonder why those who can afford it, including families of politicians, go abroad to give birth.

In a viral video of a panel exchange with president of the Nurses Association of Jamaica Dawn-Marie Richards, she spoke with passion and conviction as she confronted Prime Minister Andrew Holness about the shortfalls in the sector and why nurses are leaving Jamaica.

Is anyone paying attention? The lack of quality health care is one of the main reasons individuals in the diaspora are reluctant to return to Jamaica to reside. They could bring foreign pensions, savings, and investments with them, a potential benefit to Jamaica. Many in the diaspora have health-care work experience and could very well help to fill the staffing gap, or serve as consultants and volunteers. Any investment in health care could multiply returns tremendously. There are also opportunities for medical tourism, which have largely gone untapped.

Health care can be improved by following the 80:20 rule when we acknowledge that 80 per cent of problems are caused by 20 per cent of reasons and prioritise the root causes.

It is unacceptable for patients to wait in a chair 24 hours in the Accident & Emergency Department; and no one should have to die while sitting and waiting for care. It is inhumane, especially for senior citizens, to endure that.

Close to one-third of the population of Jamaica reside in Kingston and St Andrew, hospitals should be able to cope.

I’ve realised now that private hospitals are not much better, except that they provide privacy and comfort at exorbitant rates.

I know of relatives of a patient at Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) who were asked recently to drop off blood samples for the patient at an external lab. This is unacceptable, unethical, and unsafe, as samples could become contaminated in transit.

UHWI should be among the best hospitals in the Caribbean. Every hospital should have a robust outreach programme to attract private donors and fund-raising to boost resources. Insurance companies also play a vital role in health care, if only they made it easier for individuals to buy private health coverage. The cost is already astronomical, but the hassle they give clients and requests for medical tests. The idea behind insurance is one of shared risks among a large group, which help to reduce costs to companies from claims. We must help more Jamaicans to take charge of their health with affordable coverage, to allow people to monitor key vitals such as blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol, and routine cancer screening. This would result in less patients in hospitals and provide much relief to an overburdened system which obviously cannot cope.

It is time for action and strategic leadership.

P Chin

chin_p@yahoo.com