PNP mounts Tufton resignation demonstration outside Spanish Town Hospital

Officials of the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) along with supporters this morning staged a demonstration outside the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine demanding the resignation of Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton over the deaths of 14 babies over a four-month period at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital.

Among those involved in the protest were general secretary Dr Dayton Campbell, vice president Norman Scott, who is also the Mayor of Spanish Town, and councillors of the St Catherine Municipal Corporation.

Campbell asserted that Tufton has failed in his responsibilities and should be removed.

And he hit back against former Member of Parliament for Clarendon North Central Pearnel Charles Sr who on Sunday blasted the opposition for its call for Tufton to resign.

Speaking at the Clarendon South Eastern constituency conference at Vere Technical High School in Hayes, Charles Sr defended Tufton's leadership and that of Prime Minister Andrew Holness who he said have carried Jamaica through the COVID-19 pandemic better than many other countries.

READ: 'Disrespect' - Charles Sr says of calls for Tufton's resignation

He labelled as 'disrespectful' calls by the opposition for Tufton's resignation in relation to the death of the babies.

Responding, the PNP general secretary charged that Charles Sr should stay out of politics.

"Pearnel Charles Sr has left the political landscape and I would encourage him to just stay out of the politics because we really do not want to have to respond to him in certain ways," Campbell said.

Campbell stressed that Tufton should be held accountable.

"That would be most irresponsible and dangerous for us to take that path as a country," Campbell noted.

He charged that what is disrespectful is for the health minister to know about an infection in hospitals in July and failed to inform Cabinet and the Prime Minister.

"I cannot imagine that he is saying that the Prime Minister of the country cannot deal with certain information."

Campbell argued that Tufton should understand that the collective knowledge of all Jamaicans is better than his own individual knowledge and sharing the information would help the country to arrive at a solution quicker, and ensure that the Jamaican people are not being disrespected by saying that they can't handle information.

The opposition plans to ramp up demonstrations in other municipalities in their quest to get Tufton to resign.

- Ruddy Mathison

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