The case of Mr Jason Forbes, published in yesterday’s Observer, is most sad. But even more, it speaks to an unwanted anomaly in our health services, a bit of which we addressed in this space on Tuesday.

Mr Forbes was subjected to a most cruel and undignified death some time between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning at Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine.

Mr Forbes died on the floor of the hospital while awaiting attention from medical personnel.

He was taken to the hospital by his 76-year-old mother because he was complaining of stomach pains. Based on the information provided by Mr Forbes’ sister, Ms Carmen Gunn, his pleas for attention basically fell on deaf ears.

His mother, we are told, tried to get him some attention, but was told by a hospital employee to “go and sit down” as there were many other people awaiting medical attention.

Then, as if that were not callous enough, Mr Forbes ended up lying on the floor of the hospital because there were no chairs or bed available.

We suspect that the hospital was crowded, due to the increasing number of people stricken by the rapidly spreading chikungunya virus.

If that was the case, then we can understand that doctors and nurses were overwhelmed and, we expect, were doing the best they could to examine everyone there.

What we can’t accept is the hospital employees’ uncaring attitude to Mr Forbes’ plight. Neither can we accept that people are made to wait — by their fellow human beings — for medical service in substandard conditions.

We are aware that people in pain can be dramatic, and that staff at this hospital would likely have seen a lot of that. However, it is a most egregious act for someone who works in a health facility to ignore a fellow human being complaining of discomfort.

We suspect that had Mr Forbes and his mother been titled people with a station they would have been attended to quickly and would not have been subjected to the indignity that is too often shown to poor Jamaicans.

Had any hospital employee spared another minute, maybe Ms Gunn, her mother, and Mr Forbes’ 13-year-old daughter would not be mourning his passing today.

To have someone wait for more than eight hours for medical service is unacceptable, regardless of the demand on the health facilities.

That, in itself, tells us that we need to get our act together as a country. For that, plus the nasty attitude of some people in the health service sector, will undermine the exceptionally good work being done by the majority of our doctors and nurses.

In any self-respecting country, the hospital worker who dismissed Mr Forbes’ mother’s plea would be called to a hearing and, if found guilty of the allegation, would be sent home.

We reiterate our position stated in this space on Tuesday: The authorities should not tolerate poor treatment of patients by medical personnel at any of our public institutions. Not only is it inhuman, it is plain wicked.