Tufton: Remedy now under way to ease A&E beds crisis at CRH

WESTERN BUREAU:

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has acknowledged that severe overcrowding in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) is being driven primarily by a shortage of functional ward space, as several units remain under reconstruction and renovation.

“The fact is there is overcrowding in A&E because a lot of patients cannot get beds, because the wards are under reconstruction and renovation,” Tufton said, as he sought to place the crisis now gripping the Montego Bay-based hospital in context.

Speaking with reporters following a tour of the facility on the weekend, Tufton stressed that while the situation has placed extraordinary pressure on frontline medical staff, the government is actively pursuing solutions, with relief expected to come onstream within weeks.

“That’s not something we can do much about, except that we need to get them back into operation. The contractors are active, they are on the ground. I just went on tour, and we do expect a number of those wards to come onstream,” the minister said.

Tufton disclosed that immediate additional capacity will be created through the deployment of a temporary dome facility, which is expected to arrive in the island and be erected before the end of February.

“Over the next two and three weeks or so of February, we will see approximately a 100-bed dome that will be placed just outside A&E, which will add another significant capacity to ward space here at Cornwall,” he said.

He explained that until bed capacity is restored, congestion in A&E will persist, as patients cannot be discharged or transferred.

“Right now, the challenges at A&E are linked to lack of bed capacity in the first instance, and we can’t put people out on the road. If they come and they are ill, we have to treat them,” Tufton said. “Hence, why the space is crammed, and why we agree the nurses and doctors are being challenged to go well beyond the call of duty.”

The minister also confirmed that A&E itself suffered damage, which has been partially repaired, though additional work remains.

“A&E itself was damaged, and we were able to repair some of those damages. There is still some additional work to do in terms of connectivity, and there are issues around staff shortage, because we just don’t have the nurses in some instances,” he said.

Earlier this month, conditions at CRH came sharply into public focus when nurses and junior doctors staged protest action over what they said were unsafe working conditions, excessive workloads and chronic overcrowding, particularly in the A&E Department. The industrial action, which disrupted services, followed repeated complaints from staff that patient volumes far exceeded the hospital’s capacity, placing both patients and healthcare workers at risk.

Tufton said the government understands the frustrations being expressed by medical personnel and appealed for broader public understanding.

“I just want to appeal to all concerned to understand the context of what we’re working with. It’s a very difficult situation,” he said.

“But just to say that there is a remedy that is being pursued, very importantly, and that remedy is to restore the bed space, so that doctors and nurses can then triage and do what they need to do to get patients who need to be in hospital, in hospital.”

The minister reiterated that restoring ward capacity remains the central pillar of the government’s response, as it seeks to stabilise operations at one of western Jamaica’s most critical health facilities.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com