Norris R. McDonald | Poverty, baby deaths and chaka chaka healthcare policy!

Twenty-four newborns have died at Victoria Jubilee Hospital, within less than one month, since June 2025. This brings the neonatal death toll to an alarming 229 since October 2023. Responding to the recent deaths, Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacqueline Bisassor-McKenzie said that “prematurity and low birth weight” were responsible.

She dismissed the idea that infections could have been responsible for the baby deaths. But this is not the first time Jamaica has been bedevilled with sudden baby deaths. It is a continuous medical emergency problem with no clear answers provided about how it will be solved.

BABY DEATH CRISIS

Despite the Government official, ruling out infections as a possible cause of the baby’s death I don’t believe that there has been a serious attempt to solve this urgent national crisis. Over the past few years, we have had recurring shocking baby deaths, with some admittedly caused by infections.

Given the urgency of this problem, has there been a medical, “root cause analysis,” backed up by autopsy reports; lung tissue analysis; and blood samples studies?

My friends, we are once again faced with a medical mystery of tragic proportions which clearly demands a deeper search for the truth. Poor black families are in pain. We need to know more than the cursory statements provided by the Government and their medical experts.

If the babies had died at home we could look at what is called ‘sudden infant death syndrome, or ‘crib death.’ But they are dying in the hospital. This is a serious indictment of the failures of public policy and the healthcare system.

POVERTY, LOW BIRTH WEIGHT AND BABY DEATHS

But let us accept, for the purpose of argument that “low birth weight and prematurity’ is the root cause of the new baby death crisis.

Given the high rates of diabetes and hypertension in Jamaica it is possible that poverty stressed, pregnant, nursing or lactating mothers, with poor diets, can be facing medical crisis at home and in their communities.

If the Government’s medical experts are right the foetus is being damaged in the womb before a pregnant mother presents to the hospital for clinical examination and delivery.

But, according to the University of Oregon, Linus Pauling Institute of Medicine, “malnourished pregnant mothers are more likely to either deliver pre-term or have “low-birth-weight babies.”

Therefore, if the problem is” low birth weight and prematurity,” then this points to the nutritional status of the mother, according to medical experts.

This certainly doesn’t let the Government off the hook. ‘Cock mouth kill cock’ as the saying goes.

Once infection and hospital factors are dismissed, we then turn to the issue of nutritional status of pregnant mothers and perinatal care. If there was no serious monitoring of pregnant mothers, it would be difficult to anticipate potential medical emergencies.

Dismissing poor maternal hospital conditions is saying that the failures of proper healthcare management is leading to the health authorities (facing) a problem of underdeveloped foetus in potentially malnourished mothers?

This is not a false choice. Either way, it is still a shameful indictment on public policy and healthcare administration.

‘BABY FRIENDLY HOSPITALS’ WITHOUT NURSES

The Government’s idea therefore, of creating “baby-friendly hospitals” sound goods but, if the babies’ deaths are caused by ‘the nutritional status of mothers”, how will this help?

At any rate, even if this “baby friendly plan” was implemented, how much money will it cost between 2025-2030? And do we have enough doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and other medical staff to make this plan work?

This leaves more questions than answers.

Jamaica has an extreme nursing shortage created by the hostile, pauperising economic environment. Then, there is the absence of critical intensive care equipments and a safe, hassle-free hospital environment.

A recent workforce survey shows that Jamaica has a dramatic 58 per cent shortage of nurses, with only 3,890 nurses available out of the required 6,700 to alleviate health care problems.

A MATERNAL CHILD CARE STRATEGY

Given the massive nursing shortage, and harsh IMF budget restrictions, how will the Government create ‘baby friendly hospitals? Out of thin air?

Jamaica clearly needs a comprehensive healthcare strategy that immediately focuses on the health, safety and nutritional status of mothers and babies.

This maternal and child healthcare strategy ought to include:

• Anti-poverty strategy: cash transfers targeted to pregnant women, food security interventions, housing support to reduce overcrowding, and postnatal visits to identify problems before they turn fatal.

• The national healthcare systems must be strengthened to provide primary care; manage hypertension and diabetes in women of childbearing age; offering free nutritional support and transportation for high-risk pregnancies.

• Nurse retention too requires better pay, more training opportunities, and morale rebuilding. Last;

• Health authorities and hospitals must recognise and address the impact of poverty on babies health and infant survival rates.

What do you think?

Is there anything else? ‘Oh yes! ‘Mi jus membah.’

CHAKA CHAKA HEALTH CARE POLICY

The Cornwall Regional Hospital must be finished now! How can a budget of JA$2 billion balloon to around JA$23 billion and the Cornwall Regional is still unfinished?

My dear friends, No more delays! Millions of dollars cannot be accounted for because of “cost overrun” while citizens of St. James, Trelawny, Hanover and Westmoreland are being denied quality healthcare.

We are facing a shocking baby death crisis in the context of a broken healthcare system; that is like an oxygen starved, half dead patient on a broken ventilator.

Also, how can we solve urgent national health care problems when the Government finds money to pay the foreign consultant, Ernest and Young almost US$5 million for a project that was not needed?

It is truly terrible too that the Government had the urgency to give themselves a whopping 300 per cent pay increase while poor black mothers and families suffer the tragedy of their baby deaths.

There is no other alternative then, to recognise that we are faced by a national emergency. We need more money to be spent where life begins. Anything less is just continuing to bury the future in the same way that poor black mothers are burying their dead babies.

Norris R. McDonald is an author, economic journalist, political analyst, and respiratory therapist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and miaminorris@yahoo.com