Dawes demands accountability following death of four-year-old at Bustamante hospital

Opposition Spokesperson on Health, Dr Alfred Dawes, has voiced his dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Health's lack of response to allegations of negligence at Bustamante Hospital following the death of Alexandrianna Jones.

He is calling for full transparency and swift action from the Ministry.

“The Ministry has yet to address a critical allegation raised by the family—that their daughter had passed long before they were informed,” he said in a statement.

The four-year-old died following surgery at the hospital on December 17 to remove a brain tumour.

Sues-shuana Watson, Jones' aunt, said an independent autopsy showed that the hospital took nearly two weeks to notify them of Jones' death.

The hospital, in a statement, said it had launched an investigation into the matter and encouraged the family to submit a formal written complaint to facilitate a meeting with the relevant hospital teams.

However, Watson told The Gleaner the family has not filed any formal complaint and the hospital is yet to reach out directly to them, even though the matter has been highly publicised.

Read: Family alleges negligence in death of four-year-old

Stating that this is not the right approach, Dawes described the hospital's handling of the case as lacking empathy.

“Confirming or denying this does not require the family to submit a formal written request, as was stipulated by the release. It requires compassion and urgency. Instead, the Ministry's response has been cold-hearted, devoid of empathy, and has only deepened the trauma for all involved,” he said.

He further stated that Jones had to be transferred to another facility for an emergency CT scan before her treatment could proceed.

“How can the leading paediatric hospital in the Caribbean, performing complex heart and brain surgeries, not have such a vital diagnostic tool? This unacceptable gap in resources creates preventable delays that cost lives,” he said.

Declaring that this tragic case highlights lapses in “the standard of care that every Jamaican deserves,” he criticised Minister of Health Dr Christopher Tufton's “deafening silence” on the issue.

“Families, hospital staff, and the Jamaican public deserve transparency and accountability. The Ministry has a moral obligation to provide clarity about the circumstances surrounding Alexandrianna's passing and ensure that her family—and our country—receive a full and honest explanation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Watson said the family has retained the services of attorney-at-law Christopher Townsend to advise their actions going forward.

- Sashana Small

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