Alfred Dawes | Cost of Jamaica’s healthcare crisis: A system in peril

The healthcare system in Jamaica is at a breaking point. While the Government touts progress, the reality on the ground tells a different story — a story of inefficiencies, mismanagement, and a system that continues to fail the very people it is meant to serve.

The cost of this failure is borne not by policymakers or bureaucrats, but by the ordinary Jamaican citizen who suffers through long waiting times, inadequate care, and a lack of essential resources.

CORNWALL REGIONAL HOSPITAL DEBACLE

Take, for instance, the ongoing saga of the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH). What began as a $2 billion refurbishment project in 2016 has ballooned to an even more staggering $21 billion in 2024 — an astronomical overrun that reflects the systemic mismanagement plaguing our healthcare infrastructure.

Eight years later, the hospital remains incomplete, leaving thousands in Montego Bay and surrounding parishes without access to critical services. This is not just a financial failure; it is a moral one. Every dollar wasted on inefficiencies and delays is a dollar taken away from patients in need of care.

DIAGNOSTIC DELAYS AND OUTSOURCING WOES

A recent memo dated December 1, 2024, from the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) ceasing external referrals for radiology services due to a lack of funding is yet another example of how the system is failing. When public hospitals cannot provide basic diagnostic services like X-rays, ultrasounds, or CT scans, patients are forced to seek these services privately, often at exorbitant costs. For many people, this is simply unaffordable. The result? Delayed diagnoses, untreated conditions, and, in some cases, preventable deaths.

The lack of maintenance and availability of diagnostic equipment is a recurring issue. Ventilators, for example, are critical for life-saving interventions, yet reports indicate that many public hospitals are ill-equipped to meet demand. A recent Gleaner article highlighted the dire shortage of ventilators, leaving patients “gasping for air” in overcrowded facilities. This is not just a failure of equipment. It is a failure of leadership.

CORRUPTION IN PROCUREMENT

Perhaps the most egregious issue is the corruption that has infiltrated the procurement process. Hospital-equipment suppliers are selling substandard instruments at inflated prices, often marked up by over 1,000 per cent. These practices are not just unethical - they are deadly. When the Ministry of Health and Wellness purchases cheap, low-quality equipment at exorbitant prices, it is the patients who suffer. Machines break down, repairs are delayed, and the cycle of inefficiency continues.

What is worse, there is a significant conflict of interest in the procurement process. Companies connected to stakeholders and decision-makers are often awarded contracts, creating a system where greed trumps need. As highlighted in a recent Jamaica Observer article, this corruption-fuelled greed has become a cancer in the healthcare sector, eroding public trust and diverting resources away from those who need them most.

THE HUMAN COST

The true cost of these inefficiencies and overruns is not measured in dollars, but in human lives. It is measured in the mother who cannot get a timely ultrasound to monitor her pregnancy, the elderly man who waits months for a life-saving surgery, and the child who cannot access a ventilator in an emergency. These are not abstract statistic. They are real people, real families, and real tragedies.

Jamaica’s healthcare system needs urgent, systemic reform. This includes:

1. Transparent procurement processes: Eliminate conflicts of interest and ensure that contracts are awarded based on quality and value not connections.

2. Accountability for overruns: Hold those responsible for project delays and cost overruns accountable. The $21 billion spent on the CRH should have delivered a state-of-the-art facility not an unfinished building.

3. Investment in maintenance: Ensure that existing equipment is properly maintained and that new investments are made in high-quality, durable machinery.

4. Increased funding for diagnostics: Expand access to diagnostic services within public hospitals to reduce reliance on costly private providers.

The people deserve a healthcare system that prioritises their well-being over profit and politics. The current state of affairs is unsustainable, and the longer we wait to address these issues, the higher the cost will be not just in dollars, but in lives.

The Government should stop paying lip service to healthcare reform and start delivering real, tangible change. The cost of inaction is one we can no longer afford.

Dr Alfred Dawes is People’s National Party member of parliament candidate for SE St Catherine and shadow spokesman on health and wellness. Follow him on Twitter @dr_aldawes. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and alfred.dawes@gmail.com.