CATHERINE HALL, St James — Faced with mounting criticisms about the state of the country’s health sector, the minister with portfolio responsibility Dr Christopher Tufton has signalled his intention to no longer be the proverbial fall guy.

According to Tufton, he is now prepared to name the entities or persons to be blamed in instances when tasks are not completed despite money being made available by the Government.

“It is not acceptable and my role as minister is to call it out when I see it. Whether it is the supplier, or the manager, or indeed the patient, it has to be called [out]. I am in that mode now.

“You know why I am in that mode now? I am in that mode now because I can’t go to my Cabinet and my prime minister, my minister of finance, or my minister of legal and constitutional affairs and complain as I would eight years ago, that we need more money,” said Tufton as he addressed the official opening of the renovated and expanded Catherine Hall Health Centre in St James last Friday.

“I am not saying we couldn’t do with a little more [money], you know. And I am not saying we have everything we want, but I am saying we have enough where certain things should not be allowed to happen.

“So if we are going to demand more, we have to show good stewardship for what we have. And all of us have to feel like we are vested in that. It’s as simple as that. It’s a very simple message,” added Tufton hours after he used a media conference at the Bustamante Hospital for Children to blame private sector entities for the delay in the repairs to the air-conditioning (AC) unit in the operating theatres at the facility.

“Yesterday [Thursday], I spoke about Bustamante [Hospital for Children] and I spoke about Victoria Jubilee. Today I am in western Jamaica [and] I am prepared to talk about Savanna-la-Mar Hospital where in one section of the building, a brand new 15-ton air-conditioning unit was installed a year ago.

“And since everybody is vexed because I called dem names, I am not going to call the company name this time [but] after a year, I am told by the technical people, it is still underperforming,” said Tufton before getting confirmation from members of his team that the AC unit is not working.

“The contract with the supplier, which put in something wrong, [and] they can’t find out what’s wrong, or if they know what’s wrong, they can’t fix it. Or when I ask them, why is it that we don’t store HEPA [high efficiency particulate air] filters [which remove at least 99.97 per cent of dust, pollen, mould, bacteria, and any airborne particles] for the main AC system, which has to be changed once a year, and you still have to wait six months to get a HEPA filter? Why is it that the supplier can’t put it in stock and store a couple of them, so we don’t have to wait six months?” questioned Tufton.

He declared that he is going to stop asking questions of the suppliers behind closed doors but will do so in the public square and let the chips fall where they may.

“If it is management’s problem, we’re going to have to deal with management to fix it, and if it’s the supplier’s problem, we’re going to have to deal with the suppliers to fix it.

“I am not the supplier. I am not curry favouring for anybody except for the people who expect better service and are entitled to better service based on the resources that have been allocated,” declared Tufton.

The fired up minister, who has in the past been accused by Opposition spokesman on health Dr Alfred Dawes of embarking on a public relations campaign aimed at misleading the public to overshadow the harsh failures of Jamaica’s public health system, was adamant that he would not allow non-performers to spoil the improvements taking place in the public health sector.

Continuing his address Tufton said: “I have a lot on my mind and I’m talking it straight because we run the risk of undermining our legacy as a people having experienced the greatest potential for transformation, milking the cow and kicking over the bucket. And I’m not going to make that happen under my watch.

“Not without protest and this is where I am at. So, I am not here to offend anybody. Based on what I said yesterday, today, or indeed tomorrow but I’m saying to everybody, pull up your socks and do things differently as a demonstration that you are being given the support. And, to whom much is given, much is received and I think that is only fair”.

Tufton added: “If I give a man a contract to put in an air-conditioning unit, I should not be waiting one year after the system is installed for it to give me maximum or optimal efficiency, as is the case right now at Savanna-la-Mar Hospital.”

In pointing to the Catherine Hall Health Centre — which was renovated and expanded with the expenditure of more than $57 million by the National Health Fund under the ministry’s Operation Refresh Programme — Tufton noted that the work included the installation of a new AC system and expressed hope that it will be maintained.

“When you go in there you are going to realise that the open space has a glass reinforcement against the burglar bars because we put in a massive AC unit. I expect that the AC must run its useful life and that it must tune-up when it is supposed to tune up. And the filter must change when it’s supposed to change. I don’t want to hear that in a year the AC broke down and it stays broken down for the next two years, and it becomes even hotter now because the glass enforcement doesn’t allow free flow of air,” warned Tufton.

He underscored that the people who use the renovated health centre will also have to do their part to take care of the facility.

“We need a new culture, we have to promote the change management function in what we do, that’s the point we are at now. We are moving now from upgrading to transformation. Not the same thing. We are upgrading [and] we must transform. Transformation is the mind, it is the new approach. It’s an innovation and management must use initiative to solve problems. And if the system is not working, let us change the system to make it work. Everybody must be held accountable. Whoever you are,” declared Tufton.