Declaring that "many of our people are dying" because of a lack of medical attention,” Reverend Glendon Powell, the chairman of the St James Ministers Fraternal, is taking Jamaica's public healthcare system to task over what he considers its various failures.

Powell was particularly harsh about the situation at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, pointing to lengthy wait times, shortages of doctors and nurses, overcrowded facilities and inadequate ambulance services.

Powell, who was addressing a press conference last Wednesday, said members of the clergy across St James are increasingly hearing complaints from residents frustrated with the level of care being delivered by the public health system.