Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton has announced that, with the anticipation of Tropical Storm Melissa, there will be disruptions in the health services, particularly affecting vulnerable communities.

“Interruption of supply chains, including for medications, the possibility of injuries from wind damage, debris, and falling trees, the risk of waterborne or vector-borne diseases from flooding and stagnant water, challenges to our most vulnerable, among them people living with chronic diseases, the elderly, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, and children,” Tufton said.

He emphasised that there’s likely to be an impact on the entire society, while urging citizens to prepare for what is to come. “The Emergency Operation Centre is now fully activated within the Ministry of Health and Wellness. It’s a 24-hour centre, which keeps in touch with all the collaborating agencies and from that space, the response that is required throughout the country.”

Tufton said the ministry continues to prepare its efforts across the island, via several consultations over the past days with regional health authorities and other stakeholders.

The health minister reports that all public hospitals will now enter emergency mode. “This means that while hospitals remain open, outpatient services and elective surgeries will be suspended for the time being to focus on the emergencies. Visitations will be limited, and family members are asked to pick up their relatives who have been admitted for non-critical reasons, and the respective hospitals will reach out to those family members. We have to reserve bed space just in case we need them for emergencies.”

In the meantime, he outlined that all health centres will remain open until 4 pm today. A further update on the health centres will be provided on Friday, October 24.

System Readiness and Preparedness Measures

There are approximately 116 priority facilities across the island—including 25 hospitals and 91 Type 3–5 health centres. Dr Tufton shared that a verification exercise has been completed to assess key capacity indicators:

• Human Resources:
  702 personnel have been identified and are on standby across all parishes for emergency activation. All facilities have documented staff welfare measures in place.
• Command and Control:
  100% of priority facilities have established identifiable command centres with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
• Backup Power:
  75% of facilities have functional generators with fuel reserves capable of sustaining power for up to 72 hours post-disaster.
  The generator project has also equipped 21 additional primary care facilities, bringing the total to 60 islandwide.
• Medical Supplies:
  100% of priority facilities have sufficient medical gas supplies and strategic stockpiles of medications and consumables to last at least 72 hours.
• Infection Prevention and Control:
  All priority facilities have documented and visible infection prevention protocols in place.
• Transportation:
  87% of priority facilities report having fully functional transportation fleets to support emergency response and patient transfers.
• Communication:
  75 UHF radio systems are available for mobile response teams. The JICA Emergency Communication Project remains operational in several regions, and Starlink backup systems have been successfully tested in the Western region for added redundancy.
• Surge Capacity:
  The public health system has approximately 5,000 inpatient beds, 20 operating theatres, and 19 emergency rooms available. A field hospital is currently being deployed at May Pen Hospital.

Tufton noted that rapid redeployment plans for mobile response teams are also in place. Coordination continues across agencies through the National Health Disaster Committee, parish hospitals, and the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Coordination Committee, in collaboration with partners such as NWC, UNICEF, Food for the Poor, JDF, and NWA.

He also urged Jamaicans to work with the government and the relevant stakeholders to ensure their safety and good health during this period. “Ensure that you have at least 72 hours of essentials in a storm-ready kit, somewhere that it can keep dry. Ensure that you include non-perishable food in this. Spoiled food can be a source of serious health concerns if you have no light and your refrigerator goes down.’

Tufton further detailed that storing bottled water is also essential because water-borne diseases tend to be the logical consequence after a storm. He also expressed that citizens should stock up on medications, flashlights, a battery-powered radio, and extra batteries.

“So it’s important that the public take the next number of hours to prepare themselves. If you have chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, or respiratory ailments, ensure that you have your medicines and know how to take them if services are disrupted. And we do encourage people to communicate with their health provider in anticipation of the possibility of disruption,” he added.