Is Jamaica’s health system ready for hurricane season?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

​Thanks for the read re: ‘PAHO’s caution for small island states health systems to be in a state of readiness for the hurricane season’.

Interestingly, Jamaica’s health system is currently in shambles. It’s broken and dilapidated, and there is no hope of readiness for it on the horizon.

The powers that be are more focused on building urban centres, roads, and free houses ‘left, right and centre’, while the health system is ignored and patients are left to suffer and die for lack of expediency and care.

The sick continue to have to wait long hours before seeing a doctor, and when admitted, have to sit and wait in wheelchairs on the wards, literally for someone to die in order to get a bed. And to make matters worse, when the bed becomes available, there are no sheets to put on it, family members have to bring their own sheets before the patient can access the bed.

The Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) is filthy, unkempt, and evokes a sickening feeling to the stomach from the fear of getting ill and one day having to be admitted there.

I have also noticed that anyone under 18 years old is deemed a child. However, 12-year-olds are being placed on adult wards and are (by this) exposed to all that a “child” should not be. This is child abuse. A separate ward should be provided for “children” 12 to 17 years since they cannot be accommodated at the Bustamante Hospital ‘for Children’.

It’s 2025, and for the most part no major equipment works. The hospitals are neglected while the poor and vulnerable -which the government says is its priority– are left to seek health services at places that are way beyond their financial capacity to afford. Sadly, there seems to be no change in sight to this current chaos.

Consequently, with the start of the hurricane season and countries being cautioned to put their health systems in a state of readiness, we need to start praying that we are not affected by any phenomenon that will place increased demand on the already broken and dilapidated health system.

It’s a disgrace!!!.