JAMAICA-Health Minister says Jamaica is capable of treating burn victims.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton has sought to reassure the public that Jamaica’s health system can adequately respond to the needs of burn victims.

His comment comes after 42-year-old Dacia Forrester was doused with gasolene and set on fire at a gas station in the western parish of Westmoreland on February 19.

Tufton said that although she is badly burned, she remains stable in the hospital.

On average, he said, over 1,000 burn victims – some severe – are treated locally every year.

He contended that while some burns may require specialised care beyond local capacity, the health system has held its own in many cases.

“I know the impression is created that somehow the public health system cannot treat burns in Jamaica. And this is not the case. And there are particular hospitals, like Cornwall Regional, Kingston Public, and the University Hospital of the West Indies, that have the capacity to manage certain types of burns, up to the point of cosmetic or reconstructive surgery. So we do treat burns. Now, there is a point at which severe burns require very specialised care. And indeed, if you look even in the United States, you don’t have burn units in every hospital,” he pointed out.

He added that a major initiative is underway to build a specialised, state-of-the-art facility, with support from the University Hospital of the West Indies and Petrojam.

The health minister argued that several factors have stalled the development of a specialised burn unit locally.

“Our specialised burn units require significant infrastructure. It requires significant personnel, and to some extent, too, the usage of the specialised infrastructure – how often you use it to justify the spend. The challenge is that Petrojam contributed a very small fraction of what is required to establish a burn unit. I mean, I don’t think it was 5% of the overall cost. What needs to happen now is that all of us need to come together,” he suggested.

The Health Minister said he has requested an update from UHWI on the project.