Ministry of Health & Environment

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The Ministry of Health and Environment is reporting that there is a serious shortage of bed space at some of the nation's health facilities and as such, is appealing to the public to collect friends and relatives, who have been discharged.

"We need every available space we can get at the health facilities so therefore it is very important that those persons who have been discharged, should be picked up by their relatives and friends," Health and Environment Minister, Rudyard Spencer said at a press conference at the Ministry's King Street headquarters in downtown, Kingston on May 9.

There are serious overcrowding issues at a number of hospitals including the May Pen, Black River, Lionel Town and Mandeville Hospitals, as well as facilities in Kingston.

The Minister singled out the Mandeville Hospital as being the most critical and in light of this he said, a visit with a team of health officials is being planned as soon as possible to assist with the situation there.

"We cannot all together say that this situation is attributable to the question of abolition of user fees, but what we can say is that our doctors, nurses and health workers are stretched to the limit, giving the kind of service that they have given," he commented.

The Minister lauded the efforts of the health teams and commended them for doing a tremendous job under the new system, which has seen the removal of user fees at all health facilities except the University Hospital of the West Indies, since April 1.

To date, some 282,978 patients have been registered at hospitals and at 74 health centres. Fees forgone in registration at these facilities have amounted to $53.6 million.

In addition, the May Pen and Cornwall Regional Hospitals have reported a combined total of $79.3 million in fees foregone across major services such as Lab and x-ray, pharmaceutical services, and admissions.

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