KINGSTON, Jamaica — Young Jamaica, the youth arm of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), has criticised Opposition Spokesman Alfred Dawes over his response to the auditor general’s audit of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), describing his comments as “barefaced and disingenuous”.

The group’s statement comes amid heightened public scrutiny of UHWI following the tabling in Parliament on Tuesday of an Auditor General’s Department (AGD) performance audit, which uncovered significant governance, procurement and contract management breaches at the hospital. The audit found that UHWI misused its tax-exempt status to import goods for four private companies, resulting in losses to the State of approximately $23 million, and failed to provide procurement documentation for 51 contracts valued at $521 million.

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In response to the findings, the UHWI Board of Management has reported specific matters to the police fraud squad and Jamaica Customs announced a comprehensive review of procurement systems, and approved three months’ leave for the hospital’s chief executive officer to facilitate independent investigations.

Young Jamaica said it welcomed the auditor general’s findings and the Ministry of Health’s decision to establish an institutional review committee to address governance and accountability gaps identified in the audit.

The organisation also noted that the Government of Jamaica has minority representation on the UHWI Board, with the majority of directors being independent members, and said the ministry’s policy has consistently been to insist on accountability, probity and transparency.

Young Jamaica further welcomed the decision of the UHWI Board to involve the police fraud squad in probing reports that private companies benefited from the inappropriate use of the hospital’s tax exemption, which the auditor general said led to millions of dollars in lost revenue.

The youth arm is now demanding that Dawes publicly clarify whether a company owned by a People’s National Party (PNP) parliamentarian is among the beneficiaries identified in the audit; whether he has ever been a founding member or partner of such a company; and whether he has had any professional or personal association with the entity in question.

Young Jamaica described Dawes’ call for independent oversight of UHWI as “a slap in the face of the intelligence of the Jamaican people”, accusing him of seeking political advantage while questions remain for members of his own party.

The organisation said it supports the auditor general’s findings and insists that all follow-up investigations must be allowed to proceed without interference, “and the chips fall where they may”.