Partnership forged to ease elective surgery backlog in west
THE LONG-STANDING issue of backlogged elective surgeries in western Jamaica is expected to ease significantly following a contract-signing ceremony between the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) and four private medical facilities.
The newly inked arrangement will see facilities such as Hospiten Montego Bay, Gwest Medical and Surgery Centre, Baywest Wellness Clinic, and Montego Bay Hospital and Urology Centre helping to take on several delayed surgeries until year end.
This will take some pressure off the St James-based Cornwall Regional Hospital, which is western Jamaica’s only Type A hospital.
The elective surgeries, which include 220 for hernia, 250 for prostate cancer, and 120 hysterectomies, were delayed from as far back as March 2020 because of increased COVID-19 cases, which took priority during the height of the pandemic.
Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said last Friday that $70 million will be spent to facilitate the arrangement between the WRHA and the private hospitals until year end. He estimated savings of $40 million.
“We are talking about a $1.3-billion programme that will, hopefully, see a few thousand surgeries being done over this period to at least begin to clear the backlog of the longest wait and the most long-suffering people, Jamaican citizens who have been in the queue and who just do not have the support,” said Tufton, who was at Friday’s signing ceremony.
Responding on behalf of the private hospitals’ representatives, Hospiten Montego Bay’s Country Manager Samuel Afonso Diaz expressed satisfaction at being able to help improve the standard of healthcare.
Across Jamaica, more than 6,000 surgeries have been delayed at public hospitals, with approximately 2,000 of those relating to hernias.
In May, it was estimated that 1,000 operations would have to be conducted over a 10-month period from that time to clear the backlog of elective surgeries.
Cataract and musculoskeletal surgeries, and treatment of oral, sinus, and thyroid cancers are among the elective surgeries with the longest waiting periods for patients to receive treatment.
During Friday’s signing ceremony, Cornwall Regional’s Chief Executive Officer Charmaine Williams-beckford thanked Tufton and the private partners for the collaboration.
“Our patients, our clients, have waited long, and we are very thankful that you have answered the call and that through the Ministry of Health, you allocated funds for this venture. For our private-public partners, we are very thankful that you have joined us and partnered with us to be able to serve our patients,” said Williams-beckford.