Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter

Members of the Major Investigative Taskforce Unit, at the murder scene, yesterday, where a policeman, Corporal Scarlett Briggs, was shot, on Sunday night. - Ricardo Makyn/ Staff Photographer

The Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) yesterday rejected claims that it did not give immediate medical attention to Corporal Scarlett Briggs, who was taken there after being shot, on Sunday night. He died later that night at the University Hospital of the West Indies, to which he was transferred.

Corporal Raymond Wilson, chairman of the Police Federation, said Corporal Briggs, who required emergency surgery, did not receive immediate attention, as only one operating theatre was available and it was in use at the time.

"We are now wondering if our brother was given a fair chance to live, after he was attacked," said Corporal Wilson. "One and a half hours after being shot so many times without any immediate medical attention is something you wonder if this is what ordinary Jamaican go through."

However, Donald Farquharson, Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, told The Gleaner that Corporal Briggs was treated in the quickest possible time. "The gentleman came to accident and emergency and he was treated as swiftly and as best as we could," he said.

Mr. Farquharson also confirmed that the one operating theatre that was opened was in use when Corporal Briggs got to the hospital. He explained that only one theatre is dedicated to emergency for late hours and weekends. Normally elective work he said, is done Monday to Friday with five theatres scheduled to do work.

Mr. Farquharson said a decision was taken to open another theatre to facilitate Corporal Briggs, but it was then felt that it would take too long to get things in place to begin surgery.

The hospital's CEO told The Gleaner that the staff contacted the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), which expressed its willingness to accept the corporal.

Corporal Briggs got to KPH at 8:50 p.m. He was transferred to the UHWI at 11:00 p.m and died at 12:30 a.m.

Asked if additional theatres would be made available for unforeseen circumstances as Sunday night's, Mr. Farquharson said that could be looked at in the long term, noting that the hospital was facing a serious shortage of nursing staff.

- email: petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com