Doctors join sick-out at Cornwall Regional over overcrowding, safety concerns

Doctors at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) have joined nurses in protest action at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department, citing severe overcrowding and unsafe working conditions at the main health facility serving western Jamaica.

“Cornwall cannot continue as it is. It cannot continue. The doctors are burnt out, they’re stressed out,” said Dr Renee Badroe, president of the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA).

She said approximately 25 doctors are assigned to the department.

A group of nurses protested outside the institution on Friday.

It was unclear how many doctors and nurses were on duty on Friday morning.

Senior Medical Officer at the hospital, Dr Curtis Yeates, told The Gleaner that he was gathering information on the situation and could not speak in detail.

Dr Badroe said the A&E department, now temporarily housed in the former Mount Salem Health Centre due to ongoing construction work on CRH's main building, is operating far beyond capacity. On Wednesday, she said, about 150 patients were being treated in a very small space, creating fire, health, and occupational safety hazards.

“You have doctors at risk of needle-stick injuries because patients are packed like sardines,” she told The Gleaner, noting that the risks extend to nurses and other staff. “Safety is a significant concern. It’s a fire hazard, it’s a health hazard.”

She stressed that the protest action is not financially motivated. “The reason the doctors have joined the nurses is not for money. ....The reason that we're having this problem is the overcrowding,” she said, adding that already poor conditions deteriorated significantly after Hurricane Melissa caused further damage to infrastructure in October 2025.

“The infrastructure of Cornwall... especially following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, has really taken its toll on the staff. They're burnt out and they're tired and they don't agree that this is a place that patients are safe because of all the problems ,” Badroe said.

The nurses began their action earlier this week.

Dr Badroe said repeated efforts had been made to engage hospital management and the Ministry of Health and Wellness, including formal correspondence to the minister last year, but many issues remain unresolved.

Cornwall Regional, the primary tertiary care hospital serving western Jamaica, has faced years of setbacks in its restoration. The problems began in 2016 with concerns about noxious fumes and have since included service relocations, missed deadlines, ballooning costs, and contractor issues.

In December 2020, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton cited a lack of local expertise for missed deadlines and signalled that overseas assistance would be sought. A new contract was signed in 2023. The projected was originally estimated to be finished by September 2018 at a cost of $2 billion but the scope of work, among other things, changed, the Government has contended.

The administrative block was reopened last year.

Last October, prior to the hurricane, Tufton said he was pushing for the renovation to be completed before the projected September 2026 completion date.

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