Dear Editor,

I am writing to express growing concern about the state of Jamaica’s health-care system and the challenges that many ordinary Jamaicans face when they need medical attention.
Our health-care workers deserve recognition for the tremendous work they do, often under difficult conditions. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, technicians, and other health professionals continue to serve patients despite heavy workloads and limited resources. However, we cannot continue to depend on the personal sacrifice of health workers to compensate for weaknesses within the system.

For many Jamaicans, accessing timely health care can be a frustrating experience. Long waiting times, overcrowded facilities, shortages of staff and equipment, and difficulties accessing certain medications and diagnostic services can turn what should be a straightforward medical visit into an exhausting ordeal. For someone who is sick, elderly, or travelling from a rural community, spending hours waiting for treatment is not simply an inconvenience; it can have serious consequences.

The situation is particularly concerning for people who cannot afford private health care. Those with financial resources can sometimes turn to private doctors, laboratories, and hospitals when the public system is unable to provide services quickly. But what happens to the Jamaican who lives from paycheque to paycheque and cannot afford a private consultation or expensive diagnostic test? Health care should not become a privilege determined by one’s ability to pay.

We must also pay greater attention to the condition of some public health facilities. Patients and health workers deserve clean, safe, properly maintained buildings with adequate sanitation, functioning equipment, and reliable supplies. Investment in health care must go beyond constructing new facilities. Existing hospitals and clinics must be properly maintained and adequately staffed so that the infrastructure can actually deliver the quality of care expected.

There is also a need for greater emphasis on prevention. Jamaica cannot continue to focus primarily on treating illnesses after they become serious. More resources should be directed towards screening, health education, nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and the early detection of chronic diseases. Prevention can reduce pressure on hospitals while helping Jamaicans live healthier and more productive lives.

The Government must also find sustainable ways to retain health professionals. Training doctors and nurses is a major investment, and Jamaica cannot afford to continually lose skilled workers because of poor working conditions, inadequate compensation, or limited opportunities for advancement.

We should be proud of the progress Jamaica has made in health care, but we must also be honest about the challenges that remain. Jamaicans deserve a health system that is accessible, efficient, properly resourced, and respectful of their dignity.

Health care is not a luxury. It is a basic necessity, and strengthening the system must remain one of Jamaica’s highest national priorities.

Melissa Lobban
Montego Bay, St James