By Marlene Freeman

People’s National Party candidate for St. Elizabeth North Western, Patricia Scarlett-Forrester is calling on Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton to address the urgent need for increased access to healthcare services in rural communities.

According to her, residents of rural communities continue to face significant barriers to accessing healthcare, compared to their urban counterparts, resulting in poorer health outcomes.

She noted that in St. Elizabeth North Western, the challenges are especially severe, as residents face limited access to health care professionals, geographic isolation and a lack of specialized care and resources.

Mrs. Scarlett-Forrester revealed that she recently toured five of the six health centers across the constituency, alongside Junior Shadow Spokesperson on Health, Councillor Jesse James Clarke, in order to assess the conditions of the facilities and the level of health care services being delivered.

She highlighted that St. Elizabeth North Western has a population exceeding 37,000 residents.

Mrs. Scarlett-Forrester said the constituency faces an increase in demand for medical services.

She is therefore, calling for the placement of a permanent resident doctor and dentist in each division, as well as a registered nurse at every health centre.