Gov’t has created ‘two Jamaicas’ in healthcare, says Dawes
Opposition spokesman on health Dr Alfred Dawes has painted a picture of a Jamaican healthcare system where there are two Jamaicas – one for the wealthy and the other serving the poor.
“In one, your surgery is done in a day. In the other, you join a list and fast and pray,” said Dawes on Sunday as he addressed the public session of the 88th Annual Conference of the People’s National Party (PNP) at Independence Park in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.
“In one, you recover in a private room, in another, you’re on the trolley beside the mop and the broom,” he added.
Dawes remarked that, “Under this Government one Jamaica means having money [so] you get to live. In the other Jamaica nobody listens to you unless you go on TikTok Live. Same flesh and blood, same country, same taxes, two different Jamaicas”.
The Member of Parliament for St Catherine South Eastern noted the Government’s boast that the healthcare budget has increased but he questioned where the money has been spent.
“Show me the money; walk into any hospital and show me the money that you have put into health because we’re seeing the same crowded emergency rooms, the same broken down [operating] theatres and elevators, the same broken down machines,” he stated.
Dawes said the care went down when funding went up. “That is not care, that is chopping the line and the Jamaican people are the clients,” he said.
Sunday’s conference marked the first time the PNP was holding its annual conference outside the Corporate Area. Westmoreland was chosen as all three political constituencies are represented by the PNP and it is also the parish where Hurricane Melissa made landfall. The PNP has accused the Government of dragging its feet in getting help to Westmoreland nearly one year after the category five hurricane left billions of US dollars in damage across large swathes of south and north-western parishes.
The party charges sabotage because residents voted for the PNP. The Government denies the charge.
Dawes told the crowd that the two Jamaicas in healthcare have evolved “over 10 years [of the Jamaica Labour Party Government]”.
-Lynford Simpson
