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The nation’s public health system is prepared and ready for the effects of hurricane Melissa, says Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton. “There are adequate water supplies, adequate food, both for staff and patients, adequate medical supplies, and the logistics infrastructure [is in place] which involves coordination with other agencies like the Fire Brigade,” he said. He was addressing a press briefing at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Kingston on Monday (October 27). Dr. Tufton informed that over the past two days he has been touring hospitals and speaking with staff who are ready and waiting to assist patients. “Doctors, nurses, biomedical engineers, drivers, and porters – all of those are in place to deal with the possibility,” he said. “The message to them is firstly to take care of their family members, ensure that their homes are safe, and then commit themselves to ensuring that over the next several hours they will commit fully to serving the Jamaican people,” the Minister said. He noted that there is concern about a few hospitals that are on the coastline. “Noel Holmes in Hanover and Black River in St. Elizabeth, in particular, because of where this storm will enter the country, and Falmouth in Trelawny. We have evacuation plans for those institutions,” he informed. “Today, we started some evacuation efforts at Black River Hospital. Fortunately, we just completed a 12-foot seawall on the coastline between the hospital and the sea and that is in place, which will provide a buffer. But with projections of waves of 13 feet or more, we do anticipate a breach of that wall,” he said. He said that the institutions are equipped with backup power that will take them through the period of the hurricane. Dr. Tufton reported that three persons lost their lives while preparing for the system and implored persons to exercise extreme caution. He also urged householders to ensure that they have adequate drinking water stored and nonperishable food items in stock.
