KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition Spokesman on Health and Wellness, Dr Alfred Dawes, on Monday called for urgent and decisive action to address what he described as the “critical failure of surgical services” at two of Jamaica’s leading public health institutions.

Dawes said operating theatres at Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) and Bustamante Hospital for Children remain out of service due to recurring infrastructure failures, resulting in cancelled surgeries and disruptions to patient care.

“We are witnessing the same crisis, the same pattern and the same inadequate response,” Dawes said. “Surgeries are being cancelled. Lifesaving medical missions hang in the balance. And once again, our staff and our patients are paying the price for a government that refuses to do the work.”