Dawes says Jamaica has two-tier healthcare system

Opposition Spokesperson on Health, Dr Alfred Dawes has accused the government of failing Jamaica's health system, resulting in what he describes as a two-tier system of care.

Dr Dawes, speaking Sunday at the Annual Conference of the People’s National Party (PNP) in Westmoreland, said there is now one level of service available to those who can afford private healthcare, while poorer Jamaicans are left to navigate a struggling public healthcare system.

According to Dr Dawes, the health sector is in its worst state in his 20 years as a medical professional.

“ Over 10 years, what have we had in health? Two Jamaicas. In one, your surgery's done in a day. In the other, you join a list and fast and pray. In one, you recover in a private room. In another, you're on the trolley beside the mop and the broom. Under this government, one Jamaica means having money, you get to live. In the other Jamaica, nobody listens to you unless you go on TikTok live.”

Dr Dawes also rejected the government's claims of increased budgetary allocations to the health sector, arguing that the additional funding has not translated into improved healthcare for the country's poorest citizens.

“They love to tell you that the budget has grown. But I ask them, show me the money. Walk into any hospital and show me the money that you have put into health, because we are seeing the same crowded emergency rooms, the same broken-down theaters and elevators, the same broken-down machines. The care went down when the funding went up. That is not care. That is chopping the line, and the Jamaican people are the clients.”