JAMAICA | Medicine vs. Politics: PNP'S Dr. Alfred Dawes Challenges Senator Thompson to Honor His Oath

KINGSTON, Jamaica, April 3, 2025 — In the sterile language of bureaucracy, it's called "infrastructure deterioration." To patients waiting months for life-saving surgeries at Kingston Public Hospital, it's the difference between life and death.

As mold creeps across the walls of shuttered operating theaters, a different kind of contamination appears to be spreading through the halls of power – the corruption of medical ethics by political expediency.

Opposition Spokesperson on Health and Wellness, Dr. Alfred Dawes, has launched a scathing critique of newly appointed Government Senator Dr. Elon Thompson, challenging his former colleague to remember the principles that once united them in service to Jamaica's most vulnerable.

"Elon and I didn't enter this profession because it was easy or popular—we entered it because we believed in service, in putting people first, and in defending lives above all else," said Dr. Dawes. "That's why it is disappointing to see someone with his reputation allow politics to cloud the clarity of that calling.

This is bigger than party lines. It's about people—patients who are dying while waiting on surgery, doctors and nurses working in unsafe conditions, and a public healthcare system that's cracking under pressure."

The confrontation between the two physicians comes amid a growing crisis at KPH, where mold infestation has forced the closure of multiple operating theaters, creating a dangerous bottleneck in Jamaica's already strained healthcare system.

Senator Thompson's recent statements, which downplayed the severity of the situation, have sparked outrage among medical professionals and patients alike.

Dr. Dawes' comments cut deeper than typical political sparring, invoking the shared history and professional bond between the two doctors. With surgical precision, he dissected the consequences of choosing political loyalty over medical integrity.

"This appointment to the Senate was a tremendous opportunity for Elon—not just to add credibility to the Government's narrative, but to rise above it.

It was a chance to show that he answers to a higher calling: the well-being of the Jamaican people," Dawes continued.

"But if defending indefensible failures becomes the price of political involvement, he risks losing the very integrity that his patients and peers have long admired."

The situation at KPH represents more than an isolated maintenance failure, according to Dr. Dawes. It symbolizes a systemic breakdown affecting trauma care, neurosurgery, and intensive care capabilities across the island. The crisis has left medical staff demoralized and patients increasingly desperate.

"This is not just a hospital issue—it's a national emergency," Dawes emphasized. "And if a medical professional in Senator Thompson's position cannot see that, it may raise serious concerns not just among the public, but also among those he serves as a private practitioner."

Though stopping short of explicitly calling for Thompson's resignation, Dr. Dawes offered a stark choice to his colleague: principle or politics. "If the pressure to toe the political line is too much, it would be better to walk away with your principles intact than to remain and lose the respect of the people who looked to you as a symbol of what medicine should represent."

As Jamaica's healthcare infrastructure continues to deteriorate, Dr. Dawes called for urgent, transparent action to restore the system—and public trust. His message transcended the immediate political moment, challenging all healthcare professionals in positions of influence to remember their first commitment: the oath they took to do no harm.

The ball now rests in Senator Thompson's court, as Jamaica watches to see which will prove stronger—the pull of political loyalty or the gravitational force of the Hippocratic oath.

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