Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter

MANY OF the mostly poor women who have their babies delivered at public hospitals are forced to share a bed designed to accommodate one patient, with one, or sometimes two, other expectant mothers.

This violates the Ministry of Health's ideal patient policy of having one person per bed. Sunday Gleaner investigations have revealed that expectant mothers are sharing a single bed at both the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) in Kingston and the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine.

Sources pointed out that at times, two mothers and their newborn babies were forced to share a small bed at the Spanish Town Hospital. A covert visit to the maternity ward at that hospital proved the claims to be true.

Hardly any room to turn

Two mothers and their two babies were seen sharing a small bed. At least three beds on the post-natal ward had two mothers and their babies sharing the small space. There was hardly any room to turn in the small space.

Empty beds were also seen on one side of the ward. Our checks revealed that the section was reserved for mothers who had done Caesarean sections. These mothers were not required to share, a source disclosed.

At the VJH, while The Sunday Gleaner did not see two mothers and their babies sharing a bed, expectant mothers were sharing a single bed. And the VJH admitted to the situation.

Novlin Little, deputy chief executive officer of the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), who has direct responsibility for the VJH, agreed that the sharing of beds was not ideal. "It is not something that we want to do, but we can't turn them away," she said.

Little refused to comment on whether the practice was unsafe for the expectant mothers. "I would not want to comment on the safety, but it is not the ideal thing to do," she explained.

The Ministry of Health also acknowledged that the risky two-to-a-bed arrangement did occur in public hospitals.

Rise in demand for beds

"Every August to December, (often called the 'crop period'), the Victoria Jubilee and Spanish Town hospitals experience an increase in deliveries.

"The demand for bed space subsequently rises and on occasions, a patient may share a bed prior to delivery," the ministry said in response to Sunday Gleaner queries.

With respect to delivered mothers sharing beds, the ministry said that did not happen at the VJH. However, the ministry failed to say if the practice occurred on other public maternal wards.

In its response sent via email, the ministry contended that barring the four-month "crop period, overcrowding is not the norm".

The ministry reported that steps had been taken to ease the congestion at the VJH. A section of the fifth floor at the VJH was opened late last month with 24 more beds, the ministry disclosed.

"Ideally, it is our policy to have one person per bed, hence the expansion. Even with this, we are still noticing an increase in deliveries as more women are opting to have their babies at the public-health facility because of the charge-free access afforded with the abolition of user fees," said the hospital's administrator.

Gov't aware of situation

However, Sunday Gleaner sources pointed out that the situation had been occurring for several years. "It has been happening for years and the Government is well aware of it. Sometimes you have to get a little 'kotch'," related a nurse at the KPH, under conditions of anonymity.

The nurse added that if patients refused to share the bed "they spend the night in a chair".

While some health practitioners say there is a shortage of beds, the health ministry denies this, adding that the real problem is the "limited physical space for expansion".

"VJH, in particular, has a plan to redesign the main maternal wards to facilitate more efficient use of the available space. This should become a reality in 2009-10, and subsequently, ease the burden on the bed requirement of the labour ward," the ministry disclosed.