Tufton satisfied with response to respiratory illness

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, in responding to criticisms that his ministry was slow to respond to the recent increase in respiratory illnesses in Jamaica, said he is satisfied with the current level of surveillance to detect and treat flu and COVID-19 cases.

“I am not unaccustomed to criticisms, and we accept them as they come, but we also have to focus on a plan based on our analysis, and the analysis that we have developed, to date is that we have observed these issues from early,” said Tufton, while speaking to journalists last Friday following an official ceremony for the adoption of the Montego Bay Comprehensive Type V Health Centre by Petrojam Limited.

“We have a surveillance mechanism across the country, and we did signal in a number of ways that this was an issue,” Tufton informed.

“We have conducted genome sequencing tests to determine the cause of the respiratory ailments, and some of it is influenza-related, and some of it is COVID-19 related. The hospital system has been on alert to deal with these cases, and of course, we have communicated with the public and made them aware that this is happening. As of now, I am pretty satisfied that we are doing what we need to do,” added Tufton.

CRITICISM

The minister’s comments came on the heels of criticism from Opposition Spokesman on Health Dr Morais Guy, who argued that Jamaica should not have been kept in the dark about the viruses circulating in the local population since the country has the capacity to do genome testing.

Guy’s statement followed a release on Wednesday in which the Ministry of Health acknowledged that the COVID-19 virus, influenza A, influenza B, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are the predominant respiratory viruses currently in local circulation. The release noted that those viruses are responsible for the current increase in respiratory infections which have been observed.

Tufton also noted that contingency measures to deal with the current respiratory cases, including opening up spaces at The University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), have already been done.

“We included in that response, an early opening of the UHWI to deal with overflow from the Bustamante Hospital for Children, which has been on for a while now. People can stay outside and look and criticise, and there is always room for improvement because we are not perfect, but I think that up to this point we have done enough to inform the public and to promote the protocols that are necessary to protect persons who are vulnerable,” said Tufton.

Petrojam’s adoption of the Montego Bay Comprehensive Type V Health Centre is the 42nd such ceremony under the Ministry of Health’s Adopt-a-Clinic Programme.