PNP presses Holness to remove Wheatley as church leaders propose minimum hospital fees

The People's National Party (PNP) is pressing Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness to remove Dr Wheatley from the Cabinet more than a week after the Integrity Commission recommended that four criminal charges be brought against him.

The commission's investigation report was tabled in Parliament on 17 June, fuelling repeated opposition calls for Dr Wheatley to step down. Opposition Senator Cleveland Tomlinson noted that the Prime Minister had previously removed Dr Wheatley from the Cabinet over the Petrojam controversy several years ago, a matter he described as less serious than the current allegations.

In a separate development, church leaders have urged the Government to consider minimum user fees at hospitals to raise funds and improve service delivery. The call comes as complaints mount over delays facing sick people and the pressure on overworked staff.

The clergy said they had identified five problems requiring immediate attention, including healthcare, poor road conditions, and the slow pace of the state's hurricane recovery efforts, with the health sector needing the most urgent focus. They warned that many people were dying because of inadequate care, citing shortages of nurses and doctors. Medical professionals in their congregations, they said, were sometimes working three consecutive days.

Church leaders said it was time for a serious national conversation about free healthcare in Jamaica, questioning whether the country remains in a position to provide care at no cost to all users. Public hospitals and clinics handled close to three million visits by sick people last year, at significant cost to the state.

One clergyman suggested that charging a minimum fee of $1,000 from each patient could generate at least $2.7 billion for the health sector. The pastors said their approach would still allow free access to hospitals for those who cannot pay, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and the unemployed.