Crime, crash cases burden hospitals as holidays near
Published:Friday | December 10, 2021 | 12:16 AM
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie says there has already been a run on hospitals islandwide with crime and crash victims, mere days into the holiday period.
“Right now, we are seeing those increasing numbers already,” the CMO said at a Gleaner Editors’ Forum on Wednesday at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.
She noted, however, that hospitals are usually able to cope by contracting additional staff.
The CMO said hospitals have increased bed spacing and have so far been able to manage the influx.
However, she did not state a figure for the increase in trauma admissions, but the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has indicated that 1,085 persons have been injured in shootings up to December 4 - 78 more than those over the corresponding period last year.
A monthly breakdown is not available on the JCF’s website.
Similarly, Transport Minister Robert Montague has indicated that the country is experiencing a pandemic of death on the roads.
Up to December 4, some 428 Jamaicans had died in crashes since the start of the year, with 33 per cent of those casualties linked accidents occurring while curfews were in effect, Montague said.
Bisasor-McKenzie told The Gleaner that hospital staff are likely to come under pressure during the festive season, especially in the operating theatres.
“We don’t have much room for improving the human resources at this time, so we normally bring on persons to do sessional work ... . It is difficult when the numbers increase and it does take a lot of work,” she said.
Noting that the fix to the annual problem cannot be short term, the CMO said infrastructure being set up by the health and wellness ministry should solve some of the challenges.
She pointed to St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital where an intensive care unit (ICU) is to be set up to treat crash victims from the Edward Seaga Highway, which runs from Caymanas in St Catherine to Mammee Bay in St Ann.
Patients with head injuries are frequently transferred into Kingston.
Radiological services are also expected to be on offer at the hospital. As well, plans are in place to expand the accident and emergency department.
“So, there is no immediate fix for the problems of infrastructure, but certainly the plans are there,” she said.
Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine is also to be upgraded with six new operating theatres to assist with the management of caseload there, while bed space is to increase by 100 to facilitate surgical capacity.
Radiological services are to be included in the package being offered to patients, as well as a new ICU unit, the CMO said.