JMDA and MAJ Appeal for Volunteer Doctors at Black River Hospital

The Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) and the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ), in coordination with the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), are urgently appealing for volunteer medical personnel to assist at the Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth, which was severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

The call is for volunteer doctors who are willing to undertake 28 to 48-hour shifts at the institution, beginning as early as Thursday, October 30.

In an interview with JIS News, Immediate Past President of the JMDA, Dr. Mindi Fitz-Henley, issued an urgent appeal for volunteer doctors across the island to relieve colleagues who have been on continuous duty at the disaster-affected hospital since Sunday, October 26.

Dr. Fitz-Henley, who is also President-elect of the MAJ, emphasised that the appeal is part of a coordinated national effort involving both medical organisations.

She also highlighted that the MAJ represents doctors across both the public and private health sectors.

“The National Emergency Operations Centre had reached out for us to help coordinate to get volunteer doctors to assist urgently in Black River Hospital. We know that the doctors there have been working under strenuous situations and have not been able to leave. As we know, the roads are impassable at this point in time,” Dr. Fitz-Henley said.

She indicated that the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, is actively working to secure safe access to the Black River Hospital for relief teams. “Once we get down there, we’ll be able to relieve the team that has been working since at least Sunday,” Dr. Fitz-Henley stated.

She noted that the doctors currently on duty have been working tirelessly under difficult circumstances, and that conditions at the hospital remain extremely challenging.

Additionally, Dr. Fitz-Henley said the JMDA and MAJ are mindful that other hospitals are going to be getting an influx of patients from institutions that have been significantly impacted by the hurricane.

“We know that we cannot pull persons from those hospitals that are going to be getting patients from other facilities. So, we need persons who are either able to spare time during the week, or persons who are not in any of those locations that would be detrimental to their hospital functioning if they were supposed to be pulled from there,” she said.

Doctors who are able to volunteer are urged to contact the JMDA or MAJ immediately, in order to be added to the deployment roster once safe access to the Black River Hospital is established.