Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, has called on voters to tune out the “political noise” and not fall for the Opposition’s desperation—and return the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to a third consecutive term in office.

Tufton encouraged JLP supporters to ensure the re-election of West Portland Member of Parliament (MP) Daryl Vaz and East Portland MP Ann-Marie Vaz.

“It is in your best interest and Portland’s best interest to make sure that Daryl and Ann-Marie are returned full hundred when the leader [Andrew Holness] flies the gate,” he told party supporters at the East and West Portland Gospel Concert on Sunday, July 27.

Tufton also urged Labourites to pay close attention to the tone and messaging coming from the opposition People’s National Party (PNP), describing it as marked by increasing desperation.

“My little thing is simple: don’t watch the hype, but I want you to listen to the rhetoric of the orange people. It is a rhetoric that every day is increasingly desperate, full of desperation, to the point where every time they talk, they talk about a crisis in public health,” he said.

While acknowledging that challenges remain in the health sector, Tufton defended the JLP’s track record, asserting that the current administration has achieved more in healthcare than any other government.

“Now, I am prepared to say that everything is not perfect. I am prepared to say that we still have a lot of work to do, because he who feels it knows it and will live it every day. But I am also prepared to say that this government, led by Andrew Holness, has done more for public health than any other government before,” he stated.

Tufton highlighted the recent commissioning of the new Buff Bay District Health Centre, a $300 million facility built in 2024 by the National Health Fund (NHF), as a significant achievement aimed at addressing long-standing healthcare needs in Portland.

“The last time I was here in Buff Bay, Daryl Vaz and I were cutting the ribbon to open up the new $300 million Buff Bay Health Centre that was in a desperate situation for many, many years… I am told last year over 70,000 prescriptions were written free of charge for all the people of Portland who need free medication,” Tufton said.

The minister also took aim at the opposition’s Shadow Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Alfred Dawes, accusing him of misrepresenting the state of the health sector for political gain.

“There is one person who says he is a real doctor, but it’s ‘I and I improving’ the system by doctoring up the system. He’s a man who likes to cry wolf. Everything is wolf. After a while, there is no credibility. And he has no credibility because he cannot even recognise the progress that we are making, because it’s the Labour Party government making the progress. All he has to say is that there is a crisis in public health,” Tufton said.

He argued that residents in communities like Jackson Town and Buff Bay, who benefit from health centres and access to healthcare services, do not share the opposition’s view of a health crisis.

Tufton concluded by rallying supporters to vote for continued development and progress under the JLP.

“That’s why I say to you, don’t watch the hype. Listen to the desperation in the rhetoric. But when the time comes, vote for the people who are trying harder to serve the people of Jamaica. We, the Labour Party and Andrew Holness, have done more for the people of Portland in highways, in job creation, in tourism development, in health centres, in hospitals, in education, with the representation of Daryl and Anne-Marie Vaz. Today we deserve the third term. Go out and do what you must do to represent what’s in your best interest,” he urged.