Doctors have complained about the poor state of health facilities in Jamaica.
April 15, 2025
Where is the transformation?
Dear Editor,
Dr Clovis Nelson wrote an article in the Jamaica Observer, published on April 10, 2025, praising Prime Minister Andrew Holness as “a champion of transformation” in key areas such as infrastructure, health care, and education.
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Dr Nelson, who has previously expressed his intent in another column to enter representational politics on the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) ticket, seems, in my opinion, to be trying to win favour to advance his personal ambitions and ego. He wrote from an organisation, Refuge of Jamaica, where he is executive director, but isn’t it ironic to consider oneself a refugee yet now boast about the transformation of the same country? Why not return and fully embrace it?
Transformation is a word which suggests bold change. I wonder which infrastructure, hospitals, and schools have been transformed? Most hospitals are without basic equipment, supplies, and a working ambulance. Cornwall Regional Hospital has been under renovation since 2019 with mounting costs. Medical doctors have spoken out publicly in the media about the state of the hospitals and health care in Jamaica, which some have described as decaying. Are we surprised that many Jamaicans die in these facilities due to lack of timely and adequate care, and costs? Most Jamaicans can’t even afford health insurance to cover minimum health care. Education is also lacking and failing our youth. Many graduate from schools and can barely read and write. When was the last time a school was built in Jamaica to serve the needs of a growing population?
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As for corruption, hardly enough is being done by successive governments to reduce corruption with adequate regulations, controls, and consequences. Jamaica loses almost US$1 billion per year, according to reports, which could go a very far way to improve health care, education, and social services if we could save a fraction of this loss each year. Has the prime minister’s statutory returns been certified? The attacks on the Integrity Commission, an independent agency comprised of several professional and experienced individuals, have been unwarranted, unprofessional, and tacky. A climate of corruption breeds fraud of the magnitude we saw at Stocks and Securities Limited and it is nonsense to suggest that Government is not responsible for regulating.
When we talk about transformation we must look at the everyday life of people. Many spend hours in traffic each day trying to get to and from work and school. This affects productivity and motivation, not to mention the pollution. No one even seems to be trying to improve the situation with better town planning.
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Pensioners still have to file quarterly life certificates in 2025 to prove they are alive and eligible to continue receiving government pension. This is not transformational or modern, it is inconvenient and time consuming to get documents certified and sent in, when many seniors live in remote areas, some are ill or can’t move around as they use to. Despite several complaints, the system remains untransformed.
Government awarded themselves 100-200 per cent salary increases, making them among the highest paid ministers and Members of Parliament in the Caribbean and Commonwealth. Meanwhile, teachers, police, and public servants have been fighting for marginal increases and can’t get it. Context is everything considering our limited resources and the example we set for others. We have a Government with over 22 ministers, some have portfolios, some don’t. The Administration is top heavy and no one sees it. Transformation aims to improve government efficiency, from the Cabinet, which sets policies, to the way agencies operate.
The Government has tried to take credit for the reduction in debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio and reduced murder rates. Anyone with a basic knowledge of economics knows that the debt ratio reduction did not happen overnight. It is the work of fiscal policy over many years, decades.
Also, Government is not in any position to take credit for the reduction in murders. What specific initiatives did Government implement which worked? The reduction in crime is the collective effort of civic groups and private citizens, aided by a vigilant and alert police force.
In terms of the economy, tourism is doing well, but it remains an industry which does not benefit the country significantly. We saw many strikes last year by hotel workers demanding better working conditions and pay. Tourism strategy seems to be focused on the number of rooms only, which is a very shallow approach.
So as Dr Nelson continues to shower praises on his leader, he should learn to read the room beyond these closed-door events and not be so gullible. “Beautiful speaking” is not transformational.
P Chin
chin_p@yahoo.com
