KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) is calling on Minister of Health Dr Christopher Tufton to issue an apology for statements he reportedly made regarding interns who staged an islandwide protest on June 24, 2026.

The JMDA, in a press release on Tuesday, dismissed claims reportedly made by Dr Tufton that interns at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) protested in the Accident and Emergency Department regarding the lack of bedspaces for patients within the UHWI.

According to the JMDA, interns across the island engaged in a protest action to register their concerns relating to what it termed as “brutal” work schedules, shifts that sometimes stretched past 48 hours straight and the lack of suitable facilities for them to sleep. It said the inability of interns to recuperate adequately can pose a danger to patient care.