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There r many positive and negative benefits of social media. On one hand, there are messages from people thanking the public health system for saving their lives, however, on the other hand, there are images shared of realities faced that make us know that more needs to be done. 
As Minister of Health and Wellness, my role is to set policies that will improve the delivery of health care services to the Jamaican public. However, the truth is that in order to fix a system it is important to observe and listen keenly to the people who work & use the system
With that said, I have decided to visit hospitals and health centres across the island unannounced. This way, I can truly observe the day to day operations and interact with patients and staff to see things from their perspective.
Too often when I tour hospitals preparations are made - I want to see how things as they always are - without the 'prep work"
Today marked the first of those visits as I showed up at the Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth at 7:05pm unannounced. My tour started in the Accident and Emergency department, then to the female, male, paediatric, inpatients' wards then to the record area
The nurses were all busy and tending to the patients in what I observed as a professional and caring manner and the feedback from the patients confirmed this. The floors and bathrooms were all clean.
What stood out the most was the number of social cases - some with mental health issues and others which were paediatric cases. However, there were a total of 30 of these cases. This is a huge number when you compare it against the 150 beds the hospital accommodates
One of these social cases was a young man who has been living at the hospital for a total of 5 years. This is a huge problem, as this contributes to the shortage of bed spaces which can be the difference between life and death for a person.
There was only one doctor in the Accident and Emergency department which was concerning. Thankfully, there were not many cases in this department which would demand more doctors.
All said the major concern at the Black River Hospital is the social cases that are occupying bed space. These range from cases of mental illness to paediatric abandonment - which must be addressed.
Additionally, there are a few housekeeping issues that will contribute to the improvement in staff morale.
I want to thank the nurses for their professionalism in manning their stations and delivering care with compassion to their patients. Will be following up with hospital management to ensure the areas of concern are addressed. Which hospital next?
