Tufton dismisses health sector criticisms by Dawes

Claiming that the Opposition Spokesperson on Health, Dr Alfred Dawes, is being disingenuous in his comments about the health sector being in crisis, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton has dismissed the statement as untrue.

Tufton, who was addressing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters at a gospel concert in Portland West on Sunday night under the watchful eyes of Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, stated that while there is still more to be done in the health sector, it is misleading to describe the situation as a crisis.

"Every time dem talk, dem talk about crisis in public health. Now, I am prepared to say that everything is not perfect. I am prepared to say that we still have a lot of work to do, because he who feels it knows it — cause we live it every day," he said.

"But I am also prepared to say that this government, led by Andrew Holness, has done more for public health than any other government before. Their spokesperson, who says he's the real doctor — but it's I and I improving the system by doctoring up the system. He is a man who likes to cry wolf — everything is 'wolf.' And he has no credibility, because he cannot even recognise the progress that we are making, because it's the labour party government making the progress. All him have to say is that there is a crisis in the country," he added.

According to Tufton, significant achievements and progress have been made in the health sector, yielding real results.

He pointed out that Portland has benefitted from these improvements, citing data from the National Health Fund, which shows that over 70,000 prescriptions were filled free of charge for residents of Portland who needed medication.

- Gareth Davis Snr

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