A report in yesterday's Gleaner stated that when what is now the English-speaking Caribbean's referral maternity hospital opened in 1891, four years after it was built in honour of Queen Victoria's Jubilee anniversary, the bed capacity was 12. It is currently 248 and approximately 9,000 babies are delivered there annually.
These simple data point to an explosion in the Jamaican population over many decades, and also to some of the social dynamics that characterise life in Kingston. Truth be told, the VJH is not one of those places where many mothers who believe they have a choice by being able to pay for 'better' facilities would choose as their first option to bring a child into the world. It is located in downtown Kingston, with all that that implies in terms of its dominant clientele, and does not have the reputation for ultra-dignified, decorous birthing.
Unfortunately, the slippage into near continuous calamity and occasional outright chaos which characterises communities in downtown Kingston washes perilously close to the walls of the VJH and its sister health facility, the Kingston Public Hospital.
frustrations
The fate of organisations such as the VJH is linked directly to the state of what is the capital of the country. Surrounding urban blight, overcrowded tenements, and high unemployment often undermine whatever efforts are made to improve plant infrastructure and equipment. When the frustrations of patients and medical personnel meet in these settings, the stage is set for even greater tension which is manifested in various forms of antisocial behaviour.
So, while much work has been done by governments, supported by overseas agencies with grants and loans to improve the plant and provide more modern equipment for the hospital, the wider social context within which the VJH staff operates must also be examined. Amid all the belt-tightening that will have to be done in the context of the economy, the social-outreach programmes of state and private-sector agencies must continue.
The Victoria Jubilee Hospital is an important and symbolic landmark in Kingston serving thousands of women each year. How it is kept, managed and utilised will tell us as much about our collective selves as a society and where we are headed.
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