Health Minister, Dr. Fenton Ferguson again met with senior technocrats of the Ministry and the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) this morning (January 16, 2012) to discuss the options available to continue cancer treatment for patients at the Kinston Public Hospital.

Arising from the meeting, the Ministry of Health will utilize the emergency procurement methodology to engage the services of Radiation Oncology Centre of Jamaica (ROCJ) to continue the treatment of thirty patients who were being treated at the Kingston Public Hospital prior to the failure of the equipment. The procurement of private services is necessary as any disruption to the course of treatment for these patients could compromise the effectiveness of the intervention. In addition, treatment will commence for another twenty-five patients whose intervention cannot be delayed. A formal contract will be entered into with ROCJ for a specified period of time. ROCJ is the only private institution in the island that provides radiotherapy services. It is expected that the cobalt unit will be back in operation within 30 days.

The intervention for the almost four hundred patients who have been referred to the Kingston Public Hospital for radiotherapy treatment from both the public and private health sectors will commence on a priority basis once the equipment is back in operation.

The Ministry wishes to assure the public that Dr. Collie Miller, Medical Physicist at the KPH is not a medical doctor and does not have the competence to refer patients for treatment. Dr. Miller does not have a reporting relationship to the clinicians who recommend and make referrals of cancer patients. He has responsibility for computation of treatment plans including the delivery of radiation doses based on data provided by the clinicians, the calibration of the technology to ensure accurate delivery of radiation doses and for the radiation safety and protection of staff and patients from radiation exposure.

The Minister instructed that a team is established to commence work to improve the state of cancer treatment in the public health sector for the provision of a modern cancer treatment service.

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 Contact: MOH, Public Relations Unit Tel: 967-1561

You can view this press release and other information on our website at www.moh.gov.jm