New Department to Investigate Public Health Complaints

A new department has been established within the Ministry of Health and Wellness to independently investigate complaints about service quality and other challenges within the public health system.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, made the disclosure while addressing the official opening of the Carol Picart Courtyard at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) downtown Kingston on Wednesday (June 10).

He said that reports generated by the unit will be submitted to his office along with the permanent secretary, with recommendations sent to regional boards for action.

Good performance will be recognised, while shortcomings will require corrective measures, he pointed out.

The department is part of measures being undertaken to identify weaknesses in healthcare delivery and implement the necessary corrective actions.

Dr. Tufton said that Ministry officials will conduct surprise visits to hospitals and health centres to assess conditions and standards.

He also announced plans to deploy “mystery patients” to health facilities to evaluate adherence to protocols.

Modelled after the private sector’s use of mystery shoppers, the mystery patients will pose as regular patients and discreetly evaluate customer service quality and overall operational standards within facilities and submit detailed reports on their experience.

Dr. Tufton said that the Government’s massive investment in upgrading healthcare infrastructure must be matched by a change in attitude and work culture.

Noting that more hospitals and health centres are now being constructed or upgraded than at any period since Independence, he argued that new buildings and equipment alone will not solve longstanding challenges in the sector.

“We cannot take the same attitude into new buildings,” he said, emphasising that empathy, responsiveness and professionalism must become hallmarks of healthcare delivery.

Turning to staff welfare, Dr. Tufton said directives have been issued requiring all hospitals to provide suitable staff lounges and round-the-clock access to healthy meals for healthcare workers, particularly those on extended shifts.

He said that sweetened drinks containing more than 2.5 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres will be removed from hospital commissaries as part of the Ministry’s broader wellness agenda.

Turning to plans for the construction of a new Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), the Minister informed that four acres of land have been acquired near the Public Health Laboratory to facilitate the development.

He said that the vision is to create an integrated health campus encompassing KPH and VJH, noting that the project will result in the largest concentration of hospital services in the country.