UHWI nurses protest overcrowded emergency unit amid national wage and corruption disputes

Nurses assigned to the accident and emergency department at the University Hospital of the West Indies staged industrial action on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, gathering at the facility entrance with placards to raise concerns about what they describe as challenging working conditions.

Their grievances include long working hours, a high nurse-to-patient ratio, overcrowding, and what they say is an inadequate supply of equipment needed for patient care. Donmarie Richards, president of the Nurses Association of Jamaica, said the action followed reports that night-duty staff in A&E were not relieved by the morning team. She described the protest as an awareness exercise, noting that nurses remained with patients and that care would continue, though she said adequacy was relative given existing constraints.

Richards said the unit is designed to hold a maximum of 35 patients but had 102 on the day of the protest. Staff cannot turn away sick patients, she added, and overcrowding in wards contributes to pressure in emergency departments. She said similar challenges have been reported at Cornwall Regional Hospital and Mandeville Regional Hospital, and called on the Government to provide additional bed spaces across the health system.

Separately, the Financial Investigations Division has reportedly informed the Integrity Commission that there is no viable or credible basis to launch an investigation into statutory declarations filed by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness. In a letter dated September 30, 2025, the FID said an extensive review found no reasonable prospect of obtaining evidence to support criminal charges against the Prime Minister. The agency also criticised the commission's handling of the matter, arguing that the public nature of the probe risked prejudicing the investigation. The Integrity Commission has reportedly asked the FID to reconsider, but the agency is unlikely to change its position.

The Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal is urging Dr Holness to act decisively following the Integrity Commission's recommendation that Cabinet Minister Dr Andrew Wheatley face charges, including for illicit enrichment. Executive director Janet Carver said the allegations outlined in the report are among the most serious corruption-related findings to emerge from Jamaica's anti-corruption framework. "I cannot recall since the operation alerting of the Integrity Commission when any public official has actually been recommended and will be charged, meaning prosecuted, meaning will have to face the court for illicit enrichment," she said.

The Jamaica Civil Service Association is pushing back against the Government's latest wage proposal, which president Teisha Clark-Griffith said offers a two per cent increase in the first year and two-and-a-half per cent in subsequent years. She warned that frustration among workers is growing as negotiations remain unresolved, noting that public servants have not received any additional salary increase since April 1, 2025.

Despite disruption linked to Hurricane Melissa, the Ministry of Education said grade six students held their ground, with 90 per cent placed in one of their preferred schools and no major decline in performance among those affected by the storm. Acting Deputy Chief Education Officer Maureen Ho Chong said the results reflected the resilience of students, teachers and parents.

Police have charged 18-year-old Alicia Reid, otherwise called Lisa, of Blue Hole, Freedom Street in Sandy Bay, Hanover, with wounding after she allegedly stabbed her 38-year-old boyfriend during a domestic dispute on Saturday. Investigators said the man returned home intoxicated, accused her of infidelity, and allegedly assaulted her during a physical altercation before she stabbed him several times. He was taken to hospital in serious condition.

Member of Parliament for Western St Andrew Anthony Hylton warned that residents of New Haven could continue to face flooding unless urgent steps are taken to address conditions along the Dwayne River, noting that dredging would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. St Andrew East Central MP Dennis Gordon, speaking at the Dehany Park Divisional Conference, said the constituency's annual road allocation of $3 million is insufficient to tackle more than 400 municipal roads, citing projections that one kilometre of road repair costs about $50 million.