- Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
Dr. John Hall (left), president of the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ), looks over a document with Dr. Trevor McCartney (centre), senior medical officer of the Kingston Public Hospital, and Dr. Alverston Bailey, first vice-president of the MAJ. The occasion was a press conference held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, yesterday.
John Myers Jr., Staff Reporter
THE INCREASE in crime and violence in Jamaica is significantly compromising the quality of health care at hospitals and depriving persons suffering from other illnesses proper medical attention.
"Resource shortage is an on-going problem in our hospitals (and) to have this further compromised by criminal activity is cause for national concern," Dr. John Hall, president of the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ), said at a press conference held yesterday at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston."
The MAJ president noted that violence-related injuries were the second leading cause of admissions at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), the country's largest health care facility.
"At a time of economic dislocation, at a time of severe economic constraints in our country, can we afford to expend already limited medical supplies and facilities on the end result of criminal activity," Dr. Hall asked. In 2002, about $171 million was spent treating violence-related injuries in hospitals.
180 GUNSHOT WOUNDS PER MONTH
At the KPH, Dr. Trevor McCartney, the senior medical officer, said, "In 2004 to date, we have seen an average of 203 stab wound victims and 180 gunshot wound victims are admitted per month." He pointed out that persons in the age group 10-19 years old accounted for the majority of violence-related admissions to the hospital at 27.5 per cent, and persons in the 30 to 49 years age group in second place with 26 per cent.
Patients with other diseases such as cancers, infections and intestinal problems were being deprived of medical care in order to facilitate emergencies associated with violence-related injuries.
"It was revealed that one in three elective general surgical list was cancelled as a result of (administering) care to the injured patient," Dr. McCartney said. He made reference to one such case which occurred last Thursday where three patients had to cancel their surgery because a man came in with a stab wound to a major vessel in his heart.
Dr. McCartney said violence-related injuries accounted for 15.5 per cent of the 40,919 visits to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the KPH.
DRAIN ON THE HEALTH BUDGET
"Whilst that may appear statistically small in relation to the other disease processes the effect of violence continues to have a significant drain on the health budget," he said.
The senior medical officer said 48 per cent of the hospital's pharmaceutical budget goes toward violence-related treatment.
Similarly, Professor Archie McDonald, head of Surgery at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), said, "Treating injured patients accounted for approximately 14 per cent of the total recurrent budget for the hospital, and this did not include salaries."
Furthermore, the MAJ expressed concern that the majority of persons who were admitted with injuries of such nature were unemployed, diminishing the likelihood to recover costs. Dr. McCartney revealed that an analysis of the patients who visited the KPH showed that 63 per cent were unemployed.
