Desperate patients turned away as doctors call in sick

When 76-year-old Beverly Allen arrived at the Kingston Public Hospital yesterday, seeking relief for her debilitating flu-like symptoms, she never expected that she would be sent back to a clinic due to an islandwide doctors' sickout.

Weak and frail, Allen had been battling relentless vomiting and diarrhoea for over a week, leaving her barely able to stand or eat a proper meal. Her neighbour and close friend, Patricia Bryan, worriedly took her to a nearby clinic, but their hopes quickly turned to despair when they discovered that doctors were on strike. Allen was then taken to Kingston Public Hospital, where she faced further anguish.

After nearly an hour of waiting, a doctor finally saw Allen but dismissed her case as non-emergency.

"When di doctor come, di doctor ask mi wha happen to mi and mi seh 'mi have the flu'. But before mi could a even finish talk, di doctor tell mi fi tek two Panadol and write one referral fi gah clinic tomorrow (today)," Allen said, her voice quivering as she struggled to stand upright.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness confirmed that health facilities islandwide were operating under emergency mode due to a sickout by junior doctors, who are demanding that the Government address compensation issues. While emergency rooms remained open, outpatient services and elective surgeries were significantly scaled down or suspended, leaving many patients like Allen untreated.

"When mi see har condition, mi seh mi nah mek she stay another day, and now she cain see doctors because a strike! A wah mi fi wait until she a dead fuss before she can get likkle help?" a frustrated Bryan asked.

Other patients were also turned away and shared similar anger and disbelief. One man suffering from an enlarged prostate said that after arriving for his long-awaited appointment at 7 a.m., he was informed around 9 a.m. that no doctors were available, and his consultation was rescheduled for next March.

"I have surgery coming up, but they won't do it until the doctor check my prostate. Now, mi affi guh wait three months before mi see doctor," he said.

Members of the public were not the only ones expressing frustration. One senior doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was a strain from working under substandard conditions.

"Not only are we not being paid what we're owed, but we're also working without proper resources or equipment and it's unsafe and unsustainable," she said.

"Many of us still showed up today because we can't walk away from our critically ill patients and we care about these people. So, even though there are doctors living pay cheque to pay cheque, or drowning in debt, we can't walk away from saving a life," she added.

She also told THE STAR that despite several meetings with the health ministry and medical professionals, little effort has been made to address their concerns.

Health facilities operated under emergency mode for much of the day as the strike continued. Wentworth Charles, chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), which oversees nine hospitals and 92 health centres in Kingston, St Andrew, St Catherine, and St Thomas, revealed that nearly 100 doctors in Kingston and St Andrew had called in sick.

"The operational adjustment that we have had to adopt is not something that can last for any retroactive period of time," Charles said.

The Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) initiated the industrial action to pressure the Government into addressing compensation issues. JMDA President Dr Renee Badroe told THE STAR that the doctors returned to normal service at 6 p.m. yesterday "in the interest of patients". She expressed hope that a forthcoming meeting with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service would bring a resolution to the ongoing issues.