Silent moment for dead babies

A moment of silence was observed yesterday in the Upper House of Jamaica’s Parliament, in tribute to the reported 24 babies who died at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) in Kingston in recent weeks.

Opposition Senator Lambert Brown called for the observance, while also paying his respects to more than 200 babies he said have died at the hospital since 2023.

“I am hearing reports of the tragic deaths of scores of babies at Victoria Jubilee Hospital, and invite us as a Senate to stand in a minute silence in honour of those children who have died, and in expressing condolences to the mothers and families of nearly 200 children who have died at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital in the last two years,” said Brown.

Describing babies as “the greatest gift to the world”, he encouraged Senate members to acknowledge their passing.

“If we choose Jamaica, let us choose Jamaican children who have died in such situations in the same way we chose to pay respect to the 113 dead in Dom Rep,” he continued, referencing the nightclub roof collapse in April that claimed the lives of at least 236 people.

Deputy President of the Senate Charles Sinclair agreed that the moment of silence should be observed.

However, he pointed out that the health authorities have noted that “what would have caused the situation is not one which relates to any intrusion of, let us say, bacteria or otherwise, but would appear to be more of natural causes”.

INCREASE IN NEWBORN DEATHS

In a statement on Thursday, Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie confirmed an increase in the number of newborn deaths at the VJH since June. However, she said the “deaths are not attributed to an outbreak of infection at the facility”.

The South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), which oversees the hospital, also stated that “data collection indicates that the majority of the affected babies were born prematurely with significant factors that could have predisposed to serious illness”.

In response, Dr Alfred Dawes, opposition spokesman on health, rejected SERHA’s explanation.

In a media release on Friday morning, Dawes said the explanation was “unacceptable” as “prematurity is a medical condition, not a cause of death”.

He said the deaths point to a deeper systemic failure in care for newborns.

“Victoria Jubilee continues to suffer from overcrowding, understaffing and outdated infrastructure. There is a chronic lack of essential resources including cooling blankets, ventilators and proper nutrition for neonates. These deficiencies, combined with inadequate staffing, compromise the hospital’s ability to manage high-risk pregnancies and provide life-saving neonatal care,” he stated.

Dawes also said reports indicate 229 neonatal deaths at the hospital between October 2023 and June 2025.

He is urging Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton to state whether these figures are accurate and release the full mortality data from 2020 to present.

“Jamaica’s maternal mortality rate is now higher than it was 30 years ago. Combined with a spike in neonatal deaths, this reflects a public health system in crisis,” he said.

In 2015, 19 premature babies died from bacterial infections at the University Hospital of the West Indies in St Andrew and Cornwall Regional Hospital in St James.

In July 2022, nine newborn babies died from infections during a bacterial outbreak at the VJH. Two deaths were reported in August and two more in September, giving a total of 13.

While making his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in Parliament earlier this month, Tufton said the ministry has had “challenges” with maternal health, but was showing improvement in addressing them.

“We continue to advance a coordinated and strategic response to reduce preventable maternal and neonatal deaths in Jamaica. Through strengthening governance and targeting investments, the maternal and neonatal health programme has made significant progress,” he said.

MAJOR CONCERN

He noted that the sustainable development goal targets 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, and that an upward trend in the maternal mortality ratio for Jamaica over the past two decades has been a major concern…where we had up to 213 deaths per 100,000 live births, he said.

In 2024, Jamaica recorded a preliminary maternal mortality ratio of 133 per 100,000 live births, reflecting a downward trend post the COVID-19 pandemic from 211.3 per 100,000 live births at the peak of the pandemic in 2021.

The minister noted that more than 320 health centres, many of which have undergone recent renovation, offer maternal and child health services. He said there was also a marked improvement in the proportion of women who sought antenatal care in the first trimester, reflecting early engagement and equitable access.

“In 2023, 45 per cent of women received antenatal care in the first trimester compared with 22 per cent in 2018, the message is getting out and it’s leading to more lives being saved or secure,” he said.

editorial@gleanerjm.com