THERE IS mounting disquiet among medical personnel at the Spanish Town Hospital as they struggle to care for patients despite insufficient medical supplies and inadequate human resources.

The Gleaner has been reliably informed that a number of critical medical supplies are not available at the hospital.

A member of staff who spoke to The Gleaner on condition of anonymity said patients sometimes languish for up to three days in the accident and emergency facility, as there are no available beds on the overcrowded wards.

X-ray machine out

Over the last two weeks, the children's ward at the hospital has been without small syringes, and health workers have allegedly been forced to use large syringes on children.

Checks by The Gleaner less than two weeks ago revealed that the X-ray machine had been out of service. Persons who visited the hospital on January 21 for X-rays had to go elsewhere as the equipment was malfunctioning.

One mother who took her daughter to be X-rayed complained bitterly that the machine had not been working for weeks.

A member of staff at the X-ray department said the equipment needed a part, which was to be cleared at Kingston Wharves.

Sent elsewhere

When the X-ray machine is not working, patients, such as accident victims, who need the service are rushed to other facilities such as the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).

This, according to one health worker, places increased burden on staff who have to accompany these patients to the KPH.

In addition, concerns have also been raised about the time it takes to transport accident victims to another facility for diagnosis.

The Gleaner has also been informed that police recruits are sent to the hospital to access X-ray services when the machine is functional. This places regular patients at a disadvantage as they reportedly wait for extended periods before being called.

The dispensing at the hospital's pharmacy continues to pose a serious challenge to patients, including senior citizens, who are forced to join long lines at 3 a.m. to secure a position, which might enable them to get a ticket.

Pharmacists at the facility have only been able to serve, on average, 150 persons on a given day. Members of the public told The Gleaner that if they do not visit the hospital very early, they would not be able to access the free drugs.

Unavailability drugs

However, another setback faced by them is the unavailability of several prescription drugs.

The Gleaner contacted chief executive officer of the hospital, David Coombs, for a response but he declined, referring the newspaper to the Ministry of Health.

Questions were sent to the ministry's public relations department from last week but up to press time no response had been received.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com.