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Patient safety concerns and deteriorating conditions at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital have intensified scrutiny of its failing infrastructure.
The debate has now widened into how these failures are being reported and interpreted in Parliament.
International Women’s Association president Judy Compain has strongly rejected claims that media reporting on a recent lift breakdown amounts to “mal-information”. She said the issue reflects repeated system failures at the hospital, not a single isolated incident.
Her response follows comments by Information Minister Lynda Tabuya in Parliament. Tabuya said the lift broke down around 2.30am and was repaired by the end of the day. She said the report lacked context and did not reflect the Ministry’s response.
Tabuya also said such breakdowns can occur in hospitals and argued that reporting should include the Ministry’s explanation of how issues are fixed.
Compain questioned when the Minister last visited CWM Hospital outside of official duties to see conditions firsthand. She said public statements do not reflect what patients and staff experience daily.
She also recalled a recent exchange during a hospital emergency, where she said she was referred to as “Miss CWM” by the Minister while she was making urgent calls for assistance.
Compain said she was on the phone at the time, speaking with a doctor and making multiple attempts to secure emergency help.
She said that same evening she made 23 telephone calls during a medical emergency involving patients at CWM Hospital and GPH, as she tried to coordinate urgent care. She said critically ill patients required immediate support during that period.
Compain said the interaction reflected a dismissive attitude toward the seriousness of hospital pressures at the time.
She said the lift issue was not a one-off event. She said it has broken down repeatedly over time.
Compain said patients, including mothers, fathers and elderly people, have been forced to use stairs while carrying belongings when lifts are not working.
She said this reflects a chronic and ongoing infrastructure failure, not a single incident being misrepresented.
Compain also raised wider concerns about hospital conditions. She pointed to leaking ceilings, mould in parts of the building, broken taps, missing louvres and non-functioning toilets.
She said these issues are widespread and continue to affect both patients and staff across different wards.
She also raised concerns about shortages of medicines, consumables and basic equipment. She said these shortages place constant pressure on service delivery.
Compain described conditions in the emergency department as particularly strained. She said she witnessed doctors and nurses managing critically ill patients with limited equipment, including sharing a single vital signs monitor between beds.
She later said she was informed the emergency department has only about three monitors for approximately 20 beds, which she said is not adequate for emergency care.
She also raised concern about intensive care services. She said the ICU does not have a functioning transport ventilator, which is needed to support patients while being moved within the hospital.
She said in its absence, staff are forced to manually ventilate patients during transfers. She said when lifts are not working, patients may also need to be carried between wards while still being manually ventilated.
Compain said she has witnessed emergency situations where doctors and nurses worked under extreme pressure to resuscitate patients with limited equipment.
She said in one incident, both patients being treated in the emergency area later died. She described it as a deeply distressing experience.
She also raised concerns about maternity services. She said mothers are sometimes placed on beds without enough cots or bassinets available for newborns, raising safety concerns for families.
She questioned gaps in preventive health services, including the availability of cervical screening, saying it reflects broader service limitations.
Compain said hospital staff are working under severe pressure, including long nursing shifts and extended doctor on-call duties.
She said many are compensating daily for system gaps that are not of their making.
She also said journalists and citizens should not be threatened or discouraged for speaking about what they see and experience. She said calling public concern harmful risks silencing legitimate issues in the health system.
Compain warned against dismissing scrutiny as an attempt to damage institutions. She said accountability and transparency are necessary when health services are under strain.
She said she is not concerned about institutional image. She said her focus is on patients, families and staff working within a stretched system.
Compain said CWM Hospital workers continue to do their best under difficult conditions but said the system requires urgent attention and sustained improvement.
Compain posted her comments on her Facebook page.
