What began as an urgent transfer meant to save a life ended in unanswered questions, missed interventions, and a family left searching for accountability.
Late on Sunday night, October 5, 2025, a critically ill man was moved from a private hospital to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI). He had been diagnosed with leptospirosis. His condition was deteriorating. The private hospital, lacking an intensive care unit, arranged the transfer on the assurance that UHWI could provide ICU support and immediate access to a blood bank if needed.
The family arrived at UHWI around 10:30 p.m. Hours passed before he was assessed. At approximately 3:45 a.m., a doctor examined him, took blood samples, and reassured relatives that he appeared stable. He was alert, not bleeding, and oriented. The only outstanding request was for a chest X-ray from the private hospital, which the family obtained and delivered later that day.
Two days later, the situation changed abruptly.
On the morning of October 7, the hospital contacted his wife to say he required blood. It was also revealed that he had not produced urine since admission, indicating kidney failure. When relatives questioned why he had not been moved to intensive care, they were told no bed was available. They were assured that the ICU team had attended to him in the ward. No written record could confirm this.
Worse still, when the family checked with the blood bank, they were told no request had been made for blood — contradicting what the attending doctor had claimed.
By October 9, the patient’s condition had clearly worsened. During visiting hours, his wife found him bleeding heavily from the intravenous access site and from his nose. He was confused and disoriented, classic signs of advanced disease. When she asked to speak with the doctor assigned to his care, she was told the physician was unfamiliar with his case.
The family, once hopeful, now felt abandoned — watching deterioration without clear explanation, escalation, or intervention.
They reached out for help.
A media inquiry was sent that same day to hospital leadership and public relations seeking clarification about ICU access and the delays in treatment. Shortly afterward, the patient died.
In the weeks that followed, repeated attempts to obtain answers from hospital officials yielded no response. Only after escalation to the Ministry of Health and Wellness did communication begin. The ministry confirmed that contact had been made with the family and that guidance would be provided on the next steps.
No public explanation has been issued.
For the family, the grief is now paired with uncertainty:
Was the ICU ever truly available?
Was blood requested in time?
Who was responsible for monitoring a critically ill patient outside intensive care?
And could earlier intervention have changed the outcome?
Their story raises larger questions about triage, documentation, ICU access, and accountability in Jamaica’s public health system — questions that remain unresolved.
For now, one life is lost.
And a family is left with silence where answers should have been.
