Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton will be touring the Glendevon, Salt Spring and Granville health centres in St. James which have been affected by violence in the parish.
The Minister will be accompanied by a team from the Ministry of Health, Western Regional Health Authority, the Peace Management Initiative, the Police and Members of Parliament. The tour will take place on Thursday, September 29, 2016.
“The violence which has been affecting areas of St. James has also impacted the work of the health facilities and has been a major challenge for staff. Health is already a high stress environment so I am very concerned about the added pressure that this situation has placed on our staff,” Dr. Tufton said.
He says the tour will seek to allay some of the fears of the staff and look at what security improvements, if any, can be made at these facilities.
“The Safety of our staff and patients is a priority for us and so the Ministry and all the other agencies involved will do all we can to address any safety concerns that persons may have,” he explained.
He pointed out however that the community will have to stand against the perpetrators of crime and violence to ensure that they can continue to access much needed and important services such as health care without undue interference.