Government Has Full Confidence in Dr. Tufton – Information Minister

The Government has full confidence in Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton’s ability to manage his portfolio.

This was stated by Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, with responsibility for Information, Hon. Robert Morgan, at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, today (November 2).

He defended the work of the Health Minister and the measures taken to deal with the discovery of a cluster of Klebsiella pneumoniae infections at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) in Kingston, which resulted in the death of several newborns.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a bacterium that is responsible for a significant proportion of hospital-acquired infections. These include pneumonia and soft tissue infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals, such as new-born children or neonates.

“He has done a pretty exemplary job in very challenging times, coming through COVID. Also, he has been on a transformational push in terms of improving health facilities… so, we have to, as a

Cabinet, recognise the work of the Minister and recognise the distinction between what happened previously… and what happened now,” Mr. Morgan said.

“We have learnt a lot of lessons from the mistakes of previous Health Ministers. The Minister has been doing good stewardship and he has full confidence of the Government,” he added, as he responded to questions.

Mr. Morgan said the management of the incident by the Health Ministry’s team and the implementation of measures and protocols contributed to the reduction in babies impacted by the virus.

“I think what is commendable about this situation is how the Ministry of Health and its staff managed the situation. If you compare it to previous, you would have seen an escalating of the incidents regarding babies not making it,” he noted.

“What has happened here is that immediately as it was found out that there was a challenge, there was a cauterisation. So, in the first month, you had about seven, second month about two and then one; so, you saw a tapering off of the incidents and I think that is something that the country should be proud of, that our healthcare workers and the administration of the hospital, led by the

Minister, were able to quickly deal with what was a very challenging situation,” the Minister said.

A team from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) also provided assistance in addressing the issues identified.

“Yes, there is this conversation, should the Minister have said it in January or should he have said it in February, but what is most important for us as a Government is the management of the issue,” the Minister said.

“Immediately as there was a recognition, the administrators, the head of Victoria Jubilee, the nurses, doctors worked really hard to solve the problem and I think expectant mothers, post-natal mothers can take some assurance as it relates to the quickness and the effectiveness of the management of incidents like this, which will happen in a healthcare system, especially one like ours that sometimes faces challenges in terms of staffing and resources,” he added.

Minister Morgan informed that Cabinet received a detailed report on the matter from the Health Minister on Monday (October 31).

“The Prime Minister was informed previously. He was informed the Wednesday before as it relates to the issues that were at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital. In listening to the report from the Minister and all the facts that have come forward, the system worked,” he said.

In 2015, some 19 newborns died due to infections at two neonatal intensive care units.