Failure to create space for machine at hospital costing over $500K daily

Opposition Spokesman on Health Dr Dayton Campbell has chided the government for not creating enough space to hold a CT scan machine at Cornwall Regional Hospital in St James, adding that more than $500,000 is being paid daily to have patients undergo the procedure at other facilities.

Dr Campbell, during his sectoral presentation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, said the situation is unacceptable.

“At Cornwall Regional Hospital, their CT scan machine, I am told, is working. The reason why they are outsourcing CT scans is because they don’t have any space to put the machine. But the machine itself is working,” he emphasized.

“When somebody goes to Cornwall, they have to take them to Falmouth or Noel Holmes [hospitals] to do an X-ray. They have to send all of their CTs to Hospiten…

“Every person who needs a CT scan that goes to Cornwall Regional, they are paying $28,000 per person and they are doing upwards of 20 per day, and their machine at Cornwall Regional is working, but it needs a room for them to put it in for it to work. This is unacceptable!” Dr Campbell declared.

He further stated that, generally speaking, “there are too many non-functioning and poorly maintained equipment in our hospitals”.

Opposition Spokesperson on Health Dr Dayton Campbell. Photo Credit:

The opposition spokesperson is also concerned about the condition of medical infrastructure.

“In relation to infrastructure, there are poor working conditions, limited security features; there are very limited plans of upgrade to infrastructure. The old plants need upgrading. We have a very poor history of maintenance…” he further told the House.

By Horace Mills

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