Furious mom lashes out as newborn waits for surgery

A first-time mother is making a desperate appeal for urgent improvements to Jamaica's neonatal healthcare system, warning that inadequate resources in public hospitals could contribute to a rise in infant deaths.

The 25-year-old, whose baby boy was born on her birthday--May 4--says her newborn is now fighting for his life in an overcrowded hospital nursery with limited staff and lifesaving equipment.

"They are pushing us to have baby and say how birth rate low but yet still they don't have the facilities to take care of babies," the mother told THE STAR.

"If you don't have the resources to improve health and support babies, don't encourage it," she added.

Jamaica's infant mortality rate stood at 10.48 per 1,000 live births in 2024, down from 21 per 1,000 in 2010, but still a troubling statistic as the country struggles to meet global health targets, including the Millennium Development Goal of significantly reducing the infant mortality rate.

The woman with whom THE STAR spoke said her baby developed severe complications after swallowing his own faeces during delivery. He now faces breathing difficulties and cannot eat on his own. Doctors have advised that surgery is needed urgently, but the hospital is unable to provide a clear timeline for transfer to a better-equipped facility.

She said the staff at the hospital where her son was born called another hospital to ask if they could take him, but they didn't even give a commitment.

"They just have to wait and they have to call them and ask them to free up space. They don't write down the name to say we have saved the space for the baby or have him registered," the young mother said.

She described the emotional toll of feeling helpless and uninformed.

"As a parent, you don't get any reassurance," she added. "My boyfriend asked a nurse if she thought the baby would be okay, and all she said was, 'Mi nuh know, Sir.'"

She said a doctor told her the situation is very serious and encouraged her to pray.

"Some days mi sad, mi just sit down a zone out," she said.

"I really want to leave everything in the hands of God, but I don't know... sometimes it's just the response weh them give you. I don't know what to do."

Meanwhile, Dr Garth McDonald, consultant paediatrician, says many of Jamaica's neonatal units are under severe pressure.

"The necessary equipment, sundries, staff and skills [are] extremely important in care of critically ill babies requiring respiratory support," McDonald said.

"Neonatology is a specialist area, hence the necessary doctors, nurses and support staff [are] needed for the success in care."

He noted that while conditions vary from hospital to hospital, most face chronic staff shortages and ageing or insufficient equipment--especially when caring for premature or severely ill babies.

McDonald is calling for a national strategy to recruit and retain more specialist nurses, expand neonatal care units, and properly equip hospitals with tools and biomedical support services. He also emphasised the role of prenatal care, saying complications can often be reduced with proper monitoring during pregnancy.

Jamaica's crude birth rate has been steadily declining--from 15.8 per 1,000 people in 2009 to 10.8 in 2023, according to the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica. This trend is being felt at major hospitals. Deliveries at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, for instance, have dropped significantly, falling from over 500 births per month last year to just above 300 in recent months.