Hospitals beef up water storage as schools, courts wilt amid strike

WESTERN REGION: HOSPITALS, HEALTH CENTRES ENGAGE CONTINGENCY PLAN

THE WESTERN Regional Health Authority (WRHA) activated a contingency plan Wednesday as a strike by National Water Commission (NWC) staff disrupted supplies across the island for a second day.

“At all of our hospitals in the region, we have reserve water for two days at least, and at the Accident and Emergency wards, there is water for about five days. But the truth is, if the water does not come back today (Wednesday), it will pose a challenge,” WRHA Clinical Coordinator Dr Delroy Fray told The Gleaner.

He disclosed that three health centres across Hanover and St James were making similar arrangements.

“We cannot just sit and wait,” he added, even as news surfaced of a possible deal being struck for normal operations to resume at the NWC yesterday evening.

NWC workers had been protesting over a reclassification exercise which has been unsettled since 2008.

The disruption also affected court proceedings across the country. At the St James Parish Court, hearings were adjusted as defendants in custody were not transported to court.

A number of schools, including Green Island High, Rhodes Hall High and Rusea’s High in Hanover, were also impacted.

Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Janet Silvera said that at least two businesses were directly affected.