According to reports, the Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, Bertel Moore, cried when he witnessed the terrible condition of the overcrowded accident and emergency wards at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital.
He stressed that the government must address the problem of inadequate bed space at the hospital; to prevent children and adults from sharing the cramped space on the ward as they seek medical care.
Moore said on his recent visit to the hospital, he broke down in tears when he saw the unsuitable condition where patients, doctors, and other medical staff work.
“What I saw at the emergency room, honestly, tears came to my eyes after going into that room.”
Mayor Bertel Moore
Moore spoke at the monthly general meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation on Thursday, October 12, 2023.
“I could see little girls and boys…l see big men and women all in a cluster inside there,” he continued.
Mayor Bertel Moore
The hospital said the bed-space problem is primarily due to increased social patients and a surge in dengue and respiratory cases, which pushed the town’s medical facility beyond its operational capacity.
Earlier this month, chief executive officer Camille Lewin said social cases over the last three months had increased more than expected.
“Our numbers have been growing. In July and August, we were at 22, the count for social cases, and this month, we are at 32,” Lewin told The Gleaner recently.
Camille Lewin
Moore, who is also the outgoing councilor for the Negril Division, said there was an urgent need for corrective measures. He shared that the unacceptable state of affairs is robbing people of dignity.
Moore then shared that on the afternoon of his visit, he received a call from a friend in Boston, USA. The person informed him of a disturbing incident where a patient was exposed.
“After I left the hospital, I got a call from someone in Boston. The person’s sister was in the emergency ward. The staff washed her in plain sight. She was exposed to the public. There was not even a screen to put around the lady while they were tidying her,” the Mayor shared.
Mayor Bertel Moore
“This cannot continue. We need to do something at the hospital now. It just cannot work like that,” the Mayor insisted.
He also called on Dr. Marcia Graham, medical officer of health for the parish, to inform Dr Christopher Tufton, minister of health and wellness, to do something immediately to solve the problem.
“When you look in that emergency section, I counted close to 90 patients there, and if I saw two nurses, I would have seen many,” Moore revealed.
“How can we operate like that? It definitely cannot continue at the hospital in this manner,” he insisted.
Mayor Bertel Moore