Opposition dissatisfied with Health Ministry's response to death of 4-y-o at Bustamante Hospital

By Kimone Witter    

 

Opposition Spokesperson on Health and Wellness Dr. Alfred Dawes has expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the health authorities to the death of four-year-old Alexandrianna Jones at Bustamante Hospital for Children.

 

Dr. Dawes has also criticised the lack of response from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, specifically portfolio Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton.

 

Alexandrianna reportedly died from complications following a surgical procedure, and her family has raised serious concerns about the circumstances surrounding her death.

 

The Bustamante Hospital for Children has launched an internal investigation to review the case.

 

Dr. Dawes said the Health Ministry should provide a more comprehensive and empathetic response to the allegations of negligence.

 

He argued that the sole public statement on the matter is insensitive and lacks substance, which he said has only added to the emotional distress of the bereaved family and the hospital's staff.

 

"The ministry has yet to address a critical allegation raised by the family, that their daughter had passed long before they were informed. Let me be clear, confirming or denying this does not require the family to submit a formal written request as was stipulated by the release. It requires compassion and urgency. Instead, the ministry's response has been cold-hearted, devoid of empathy and has only deepened the trauma for all involved," he asserted. 

 

Dr. Dawes has also taken the Ministry of Health to task over resource constraints at health facilities after it was revealed that the child, while in critical condition, had to be transported to Kingston Public Hospital for an emergency CT scan before treatment for complications could proceed.

 

"How can the leading paediatric hospital in the Caribbean, performing complex heart and brain surgeries, not have such a vital diagnostic tool? This unacceptable gap in resources creates preventable delays that cost lives. I ask how many more lives will we lose before the ministry prioritises patients and staff over costly, delayed infrastructural projects that seem to benefit no one? The Minister of Health's silence on this issue is deafening. Families, hospital staff and the Jamaican public deserve transparency and accountability," said the opposition spokesman. 

 

The family has hired attorney Christopher Townsend to determine if there are grounds for legal action.