Government moves to address working conditions of medical interns amid concerns

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton says he has instructed the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) and the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) to act immediately to address the working conditions of medical interns who have taken protest action to object to what they describe as an “exploitative” working environment.

In a statement today, Tufton said that, effective immediately, the RHAs and UHWI are to implement measures, including facility inspections, with a comprehensive physical audit of all intern accommodation facilities to be completed within 72 hours.

It was indicated that the findings are to be submitted to the Permanent Secretary’s Office no later than Friday, June 26.

“Any facility found to have structural, sanitary or safety deficiencies, including sewage-related issues or inadequate sleeping arrangements, must undergo immediate interim corrective action,” he said.

Further, Tufton said Senior Medical Officers have been instructed to review duty rosters to ensure that interns, residents and Senior House Officers are scheduled appropriately.

Human Resource Directors across all RHAs are also required to submit, within five working days, a detailed assessment of intern staffing gaps by department and facility.

The assessment will inform accelerated deployment under the 2026 Medical Internship Programme.

Additionally, Employee Assistance Programme coordinators have been directed to proactively engage intern cohorts and provide access to mental health and wellness support services.

The Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) yesterday raised concerns over what it described as poor working conditions facing medical interns across the island, warning that severe staff shortages are placing both healthcare workers and patients at risk.

It pointed to the significant reduction in the number of interns working within medical facilities islandwide.

This, it said, has forced interns in certain facilities to work 24- to 32-hour shifts on alternate days, with some working up to 56 consecutive hours.

The JMDA stated that medical officers believe interns are unable to adequately hone their key clinical skills because of the significant increase in workload associated with the reduced intern-to-service ratio.

However, Tufton stated that steps are being taken to strengthen the internship programme and that he will be requesting a meeting with the JMDA. He will also invite the association to participate in a Joint Monitoring Committee that will track remediation efforts and progress on a fortnightly basis.

The health minister said that, as of July 1, 2026, a total of 232 medical interns are expected to be in position across the public health system.

Further, he said 90 interns commenced service between January and March 2026, while 142 applicants have already met the requirements to begin on July 1.

Additional placements are anticipated following the completion of the June 2026 qualifying examinations.

He said the ministry has been reviewing internship post allocations in consultation with the Medical Council of Jamaica and the RHAs to ensure that training sites possess the necessary supervision, clinical workload and physical infrastructure required to support quality internship experiences.

A revised internship post-allocation framework is expected to be presented to Cabinet within the coming weeks, Tufton stated.

Additionally, the Director of Health Services Planning and Integration has been tasked with working alongside regional teams to incorporate facility readiness as a key criterion in future internship placements, he said.

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