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Minister of Health Dr. Christopher Tufton is enduring a torrid time and the way he is managing his portfolio is coming under scrutiny.

Procurement irregularities at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), missing dialysis machines, deplorable working conditions at Cornwall Regional Hospital, the dilapidated state of Mandeville Hospital and the overcrowding there, a staffing crisis at San-La-Mar Hospital, and it goes on.

It has been said that Dr. Tufton’s detractors and certain agents in the media are conspiring to besmirch the Minister of Health. Some say it is all politically motivated by both PNP operatives and members of Dr. Tufton’s own party looking to knock him off the pecking order to become the next leader of the JLP.

That’s not the issue. The health care system in Jamaica has become a national cause for concern, and many bemoan the poor quality of service and the sanitary conditions at many of the hospitals.

It is wrong to conjoin Dr. Tufton to instances of corruption and unethical practices at UHWI and other hospitals. There is no evidence that he partook in malfeasance. The responsibility for the hospitals ultimately lies with him, hence the hot water he finds himself in.

Dr Tufton did a good job managing the COVID crisis, and his stock rose as a result. He deserved the plaudits, but now the tide has turned.

He sets the policy for Jamaica’s healthcare system and reports in to the Prime Minister. What has now befallen him is a failure of operational management due in the main to the lack of professionalism and low standards that bedevil Jamaica. Dr Tufton is now paying the price for this.

CEOs and the Permanent Secretary have not taken responsibility for the state of Jamaican hospitals. They have accepted no culpability.  They defer to Minister Tufton and have left him to remove the arrows planted in his chest.  They have not joined the party of misery; they have opted not to share Dr. Tufton’s burden.

These operational failures are symptomatic of what is happening in Jamaica-people who are given high positions but have no aptitude for the job. Many cite educational titles and have letters before and after their name, but couldn’t manage their way out of a matchbox.

Standards are woefully low, and top executives and managers do not take the approach that there is a level where we will never go below. They have very little regard for the expectations of Jamaicans and get away with incompetence time and time again.

Dr Christopher Tufton has said performances will improve at Cornwall Regional Hospital and that he has appointed a committee headed by Howard Mitchell to look into the scandal that took place at UHWI.

That is positive, but he must now preside over significant changes in Jamaica’s hospitals and bring in professionals who know what they are doing. He cannot depend on the current crop-they will spell his doom and are a danger to the health of the nation, literally.

Where to start? 

Hire Manpower & Maintenance Services Limited (MMS) to take care of the cleaning and sanitary needs of all public hospitals. Jamaicans should not have to endure rat-infested, dirty hospitals when they are sick.

Dr. Tufton must lean on the experience of MMS founder Audrey Hinchcliffe’s experience. She has honed her professionalism in the Caribbean and in the United States and can bring considerable know-how to this mission.

The Minister of Health can rest assured the job will get done with Audrey Hinchcliffe and that health care workers will not have to work in filthy conditions.

Jamaican hospitals have a problem with supervisory management services, and after Hurricane Melissa, disaster recovery solutions. Dr. Tufton has said that the natural disaster has placeda strain on hospitals. He now has to bring in tested expertise.

Find the money and pay them-get it done!. There isn’t a moment to lose. Sit down with Audrey Hinchcliffe and come up with a plan. Hinchcliffe is the doyenne of public health management services. 

A line has to be drawn in the sand now. A hospital should always be clean and well-kept. It shouldn’t be a breeding ground for diseases and maladies.

In an article she wrote back in 2022, entitled “ Healthcare at the Crossroads” she said: “ Prevention is better than cure. Simply, it is better to stop something bad from happening than it is to deal with it after it has happened. It is cheaper to prevent future illnesses and prevent complications from existing conditions are vital to the future sustainability of health systems.”

In other words, act now to prevent disaster and further detrimental occurrences. 

Hinchcliffe added: “Crossroads have signs, the question is where you are going, any road won’t lead you there. You must know which one to take that will get you there, that destination, “ that there” is healthcare outcomes.

Minister Tufton must prioritise the dignity of patients. The optics off patients waiting for medical care for hours in wheelchairs, people on beach chairs, and overcrowding is shocking and cannot be dismissed. Both the President of the Nurses Association of Jamaica, Dawn-Marie Richards and the President of the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association Dr. Renee Badroe, have made mention of this. The dignity of medical practitioners must also be paid attention to. It is worrisome to hear stories of doctors having to buy their own equipment, such as forceps, because they are not provided with the tools needed. Then again some top doctors use favoured equipment and in some instances have it customised.

Jamaica’s healthcare infrastructure and operations are at a crossroads, and the buck stops with the minister. He must act diligently. He has rejected blame for the UHWI procurement breaches, yet many hold him ultimately responsible for the mess. He has said he is actively working to address the issues outlined in the Auditor-General’s Report.

Jamaica has top-class healthcare professionals plying their trade across the world. Perhaps it might behoove Dr. Tufton to seek out these skilled healthcare professionals to come back home and help but he will have to pay them commensurate with the salaries they are currently getting.

He can’t play political games, appeal to patriotism and make it solely about national contribution. Nobody wants to take a backward step in life.

This will mean getting the Minister of Finance to come up with the required funding. If Jamaica is serious about getting to developed world status by 2030, then it needs a far better health care system than currently exits.

Many Jamaicans who have lived abroad for decades want to return to the land of their birth in their golden years. To do so they will require adequate healthcare and access to medicine. Pensioners from the U.S., UK and Canada will be reluctant to settle in Jamaica if the hospitals and medical facilities are shoddy, inadequate and dirty. They don’t want to go from First World to Third World  inrelation it their health care requirements.

Then there is tourism. A key driver of Jamaica’s economy. The U.S. has already issued an Advisory citing Jamaica’s poor healthcare facilities.

Managing Physician Dr. Phillip Leatt, formerly of Duke University, said in New York: “Jamaica is a top Caribbean destination for Americans but now there are questions about the quality of its medical facilities. The U.S. Government will not want Americans trapped in a country unable to receive adequate healthcare. They would be better off in Hawaii , U.S. Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Dominican Republic or Europe.

“ Jamaica must address this problem because Americans are exacting about the quality of the healthcare they receive. There is no point having a beautiful country  but lousy hospitals which are rat -infested. That would be repugnant to Americans and would repulse them. 

“I’m sure Dr. Tufton is aware that Jamaica’s health care standards vary drastically from U.S. standards and will be looking for remedies to the major problems that he has to contend with. Right now Jamaican hospitals are underesourced and cannot provide specialist care at internationally recognised standards.”

What Dr. Tufton must do now is focus on operational standards and bring in top professionals that report directly to him.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness Standards and Regulations Division has not said a word about the current state of Jamaican hospitals and their quality of service.  It has not come out to support their Minister, leaving him to the wolves. 

A better look must be taken at hospital management, infrastructure, financing, equipment, staffing levels, technology and service delivery.

Who is responsible for oversight and accountability? Can the right team be put together to examine the issues raised at Cornwall Regional Hospital, the University Hospital of the West Indies and other medical facilities across the island?

What preventative measures can be taken both in the short and long term?