JMDA calls for Tufton to apologise and retract statements regarding protest by interns
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) is calling on Minister of Health Dr Christopher Tufton to issue an apology for statements he reportedly made regarding interns who staged an islandwide protest on June 24, 2026.
The JMDA, in a press release on Tuesday, dismissed claims reportedly made by Dr Tufton that interns at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) protested in the Accident and Emergency Department regarding the lack of bedspaces for patients within the UHWI.
According to the JMDA, interns across the island engaged in a protest action to register their concerns relating to what it termed as “brutal” work schedules, shifts that sometimes stretched past 48 hours straight and the lack of suitable facilities for them to sleep. It said the inability of interns to recuperate adequately can pose a danger to patient care.
“It is disheartening to realise that the minister is unable to identify the inhumane conditions in which the doctors must function, the dissatisfaction among the interns and what the doctors have to present to the country as healthcare,” the JMDA said.
The association called for Dr Tufton to change his statement, apologise to the interns and state accurately the facts as they are so that the nation will not be misled.
The minister is reportedly set to invite the JMDA to the discussion table to discuss concerns relating to the interns.
