Kingston Public Hospital
The parliamentary opposition has called for Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton to provide details to the country on what it describes as a public health crisis unfolding at Kingston Public Hospital where "noxious chemical fumes" forced the closure of and emergency evacuation of the Accident and Emergency department over the weekend.
PNP General Secretary Dr. Dayton Campbell complained that the repeated disruption of critical emergency services at KPH is not only unacceptable but places lives at risk and highlights the severe lapses in planning, oversight and public communication.
Dr. Campbell claimed that he has been informed that the A&E department has now been relocated to outpatient clinics, X-ray services moved to upper floors, and laboratory services redirected to the National Public Health Lab.
He further claimed that many staff have been affected by the fumes and have already reported symptoms, and are being advised to seek care externally.
But Radio Jamaica News spoke with the CEO of KPH, Barrington Graham, who said the Accident and Emergency department was not shut down and the fumes were not noxious.
He explained that during a planned mould treatment on May 2, chemical fumes entered the air vacuum system at the A&E department and some people became uncomfortable with the odour, so patients and healthcare workers were temporarily relocated to an adjacent section of the department.
He said air quality tests were done by the National Public Health Laboratory and the results confirmed on May 3 that the space is safe for occupation.
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