Health Minister Condemns Invasion of Spanish Town Hospital

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer has condemned the attack on Spanish Town Hospital by gunmen early this morning. The men invaded the hospital about 2:30 a.m. and reportedly robbed staff of cash, cellular phones and jewelry.

“I strongly condemn this callous act. There is a pattern emerging that we do not like and we wish those criminal minded persons would allow suffering people to access medical attention and our staff to do their work without fear of incidents such as this,” Minister Spencer said.

Minister Spencer says he hopes the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice and urged members of the community to assist the police in their investigations.

“We all have a responsibility to help to stamp out crime and violence in our communities. This collective act is the only way we will achieve any semblance of development in our country. I therefore urge members of the community to tell the authorities what they know and show these persons that they cannot get away with what they have done,” he said.

The Health Minister added that "our staff is traumatized by what I can only describe as becoming a regular occurrence especially at this particular facility."

He said counseling is now being offered to all staff members who may need it and asked that they take heart and remain steadfast as we strive to provide the best health care to the people of Jamaica in a safe environment.

Issued by: The Ministry of Health