CRH getting failing grade for customer service

WESTERN BUREAU:

The poor quality of the customer service at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in Montego Bay, St James, has added another layer to the inadequacy at the facility, which is undergoing restoration work, despite being the main facility earmarked to address COVID-19-related illnesses in western Jamaica.

During a visit to the Type A hospital on Wednesday afternoon, to investigate complaints about the poor quality of patient care, The Gleaner was bombarded by a litany of complaints from persons in the waiting area, some of whom were there from as early as 6 a.m.

Sylvinna Sterling, who was visiting the hospital to be treated for high blood pressure, said her biggest issue was the lengthy eight-hour waiting time she had to endure, as, having arrived at the hospital shortly after daybreak, she did not see a doctor up until as late as 2 p.m.

“The nurses and doctor treat me good, so I can’t say anything about that, but I have been here eight hours now, since 6 a.m. I got through already, but I’m waiting on the blood result now,” Sterling told The Gleaner.

A mother of four, who asked that her name not be used, said, based on her latest experience, she believes the quality of the service has deteriorated in comparison to a previous visit in 2013.

“In 2013 when I had my first son, I used to get through quickly,” said the mother, who was at the hospital on Wednesday seeking treatment for her seven-day-old baby, who has been diagnosed with jaundice.

According to her, in 2013 when she went to CRH to get treatment for her older son’s asthma, the process from getting through the waiting area to seeing a doctor was much faster than her current experience.

“I think things are moving slower (now), because they don’t have the hospital building where they can accommodate everybody and move fast, and it’s worse with COVID-19 now,” the mother said.

“I think the Government could do better because of how long now they’re drawn out with the building (the restoration work). We need to have a separate section for us with babies, because my child is so young and not yet properly vaccinated, to be out here with all these sick people,” the woman added.

When The Gleaner contacted Errol Greene, who heads the Western Regional Health Authority, on Wednesday, he expressed surprise about the avalanche of complaints patients had related to The Gleaner about the quality of service delivery at CRH.

“We understand there’s an issue with lengthy waiting times. We have addressed that issue and it was reduced significantly. We’ve rearranged our accident and emergency ward and put in additional customer-service people, so I thought the situation was improving and I wasn’t aware that it had deteriorated to what it used to be before,” said Greene.

“There may be a need for persons to wait for results and diagnostic tests and so forth, but that does not mean they would not have been seen. Remember, too, that some of these labs would be overwhelmed because we’re dealing with COVID-19 and other things as well,” Greene added.

Most of CRH’s operations have been outsourced or scaled down due to its restoration work, which is being done to correct a noxious fumes issue that arose in January 2017 and forced the relocation of several services. The work has been projected to finish by December this year, despite restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic which has resulted in 509 infections and nine deaths locally.