Dr. Alfred Dawes to Senator Elon Thompson: Stay True to the Higher Calling of Medicine

KINGSTON, Jamaica. April 3,2025. — Opposition Spokesperson on Health and Wellness, Dr. Alfred Dawes, is expressing deep disappointment in the response given by newly appointed Government Senator Dr. Elon Thompson to the unfolding crisis at Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), where mould infestation has resulted in the closure of operating theatres and disrupted critical surgical care.

Dr. Dawes, a long-standing colleague of Dr. Thompson, in the medical fraternity, said that the Senator’s dismissal of legitimate concerns about the breakdown in public healthcare services is a troubling sign of how political pressure can distort professional judgment and erode public trust.

“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.”

Dr. Dawes acknowledged Senator Thompson’s long-standing respect in the medical field and urged him not to allow political expediency to tarnish a hard-earned reputation.

“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.”

Dr. Dawes warned that the situation at KPH is not an isolated issue but part of a broader collapse in public health infrastructure, with consequences for trauma care, neurosurgery, ICU capacity, and the morale of the health workforce.

“This is not just a hospital issue—it’s a national emergency. 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.”

While not directly calling for his resignation, Dr. Dawes suggested that if the burden of political allegiance is forcing Senator Thompson to compromise his professional values, then stepping away may be the more honorable course.

“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.”

Dr. Dawes concluded by reiterating the need for urgent, transparent, and coordinated national action to restore trust in Jamaica’s health system—and called on all professionals, regardless of political alignment, to recommit to the people’s well-being.