Bellevue Hospital Chief Executive Officer Suzette Buchanan is calling for greater accountability and compassion in Jamaica’s healthcare sector after an incident involving her daughter at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in St Andrew.

Buchanan, speaking exclusively to the Jamaica Observer, said her 32-year-old daughter, Toni-Ann Kirlew, who is visiting Jamaica from Australia, became acutely unwell and was taken to UHWI’s Emergency Department last Monday.

Kirlew, who lives with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune-related conditions affecting her muscles and joints, had been experiencing severe pain, inflammation and stiffness as well as difficulty swallowing, eating and taking oral medication.