Tufton takes the high road

TUFTON... has no desire to become embroiled in a public spat. HEALTH Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has offered an olive branch to president of the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) Dr Renee Badroe who on Tuesday called on him to “apologise” for statements he reportedly made regarding a protest staged by interns last month. Dr Badroe had earlier in the day issued a statement in which she described as “untrue” comments attributed to the minister. She maintained that Tufton said “interns at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) protested in the Accident and Emergency Department regarding the lack of bed spaces for patients within the UHWI”. She painted a picture of a minister out of touch with the realities on the ground. “It is disheartening to realise that the minister is unable to identify the inhumane conditions in which the doctors must function, the dissatisfaction among the interns, and what the doctors have to present to the country as health care. The JMDA would appreciate it if the Honourable Minister would change his statement, apologise to the interns, and state accurately the facts as they are so, that the nation will not be misled in this matter,” Dr Badroe said. According to the JMDA president interns across the island participated in the June 24 protest and their concerns related to brutal work schedules — shifts that sometimes stretch beyond 48 hours straight. “Even after these long shifts, there is nowhere suitable for them to sleep at many of the facilities. This inability to recuperate adequately can pose a danger to patient care,” she said as she urged the health minister to address the underlying issues. Contacted by the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday, Tufton said he will be inviting the JMDA to the discussion table. “I intend to invite them to a meeting to discuss the matters of concern relating to the interns once the final report from the audit team is received,” he said while stressing that he has no desire to become embroiled in a public spat. According to a release issued by the health ministry, a day after the interns’ protest Tufton directed management of the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) and UHWI to immediately action a series of measures aimed at addressing the concerns raised by the medical interns regarding working and living conditions across the public health system. The health minister at the time also instructed the RHAs and UHWI to implement with “immediate effect” facility inspections, where a comprehensive physical audit of all intern accommodation facilities is to be completed within 72 hours. He said findings were to be submitted to the permanent secretary’s office no later than June 26, 2026. The health minister at the time further ordered that “any facility found to have structural, sanitary, or safety deficiencies, including sewage-related issues or inadequate sleeping arrangements, must undergo immediate interim corrective action”. He also said senior medical officers had been instructed to review duty rosters to ensure that interns, residents and senior housing officers are scheduled as appropriate. Tufton had also requested that human resource directors across all RHAs submit, within five working days, a detailed assessment of intern staffing gaps by department and facility. He said the assessment will inform accelerated deployment under the 2026 Medical Internship Programme. Additionally, he stated that Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) coordinators have been directed to proactively engage intern cohorts and provide access to mental health and wellness support services. The minister also indicated then that as of July 1, 2026, a total of 232 medical interns were expected to be in position across the public health system while 90 interns commenced service between January and March 2026, with 142 applicants who had already met the requirements to begin on July 1. He said additional placements are anticipated following the completion of the June 2026 qualifying examinations. Other steps then highlighted by the health minister included an ongoing review of “internship post allocations in consultation with the Medical Council of Jamaica and the RHAs to ensure that training sites possess the necessary supervision, clinical workload, and physical infrastructure required to support quality internship experiences”. He also stated that a revised internship post-allocation framework is expected to be presented to Cabinet within the coming weeks while the director of health Services Planning and Integration has been tasked with working alongside regional teams to incorporate facility readiness as a key criterion in future internship placements.