Yeates says major CRH concerns to be addressed in weeks

WESTERN BUREAU:

Dr Curtis Yeates, the senior medical officer of health at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in Montego Bay, St James, has issued a public apology to patients and staff for the poor working conditions and overcrowding at the facility, saying the situation has fallen short of acceptable standards.

Yeates spoke with reporters last weekend following a tour of the hospital by Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, which came in the wake of recent protest action by nurses and doctors over overcrowding, staffing shortages, and patient-safety concerns.

“So as a senior medical officer and a practising clinician, I’d first like to start by saying we know that there are problems. We know that our patient experience and our staff experience is not what we think they deserve and what we expect,” said Yeates. “So to begin with, we have to apologise that we weren’t able to meet that expectation.”

Yeates acknowledged that while there are multiple contributing factors, the responsibility to address the fallout remains a pertinent concern.

“Of course, there might be lots of reasons why, but the fact still remains that expectation was not met,” he said.

Yeates also indicated that the hospital management has since accelerated corrective measures, with several solutions expected to take effect within weeks.

“Within the next two to three weeks, we expect to deliver 127 more beds. You must remember that unfortunately, we lost 165 beds from the storm (Hurricane Melissa). We were always behind,” he explained. “When the dome (field hospital) arrives, we expect to gain another 80 to 100 beds, and that will, we think, solve a lot of our overcrowding and [improve] patient and relative and staff experience.”

“So we think we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we think it’s just around the corner,” he added.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com