Spanish Town Hospital Rejects Negligence Claim Over Crash Victim’s 10-Month Wait for Surgery

Spanish Town Hospital has rejected claims that it neglected Ralston Thomas, a crash victim who has spent more than 10 months waiting for surgery. The hospital said he has continued receiving treatment and regular assessments according to his medical needs.

Thomas was admitted after a motor vehicle struck him on October 16, 2025. The crash fractured the femur in his right leg and left him needing surgery. The hospital said the procedure required implants that it requested, but the supplier could not provide them at the time.

Thomas told the Jamaica Observer that his family raised money through a GoFundMe campaign and that he had already paid $187,000 toward the operation. He said the hospital gave him several dates for follow-up and surgery, but repeatedly postponed the procedure and directed him back to the orthopaedic clinic.

The hospital said an assessment found that his condition was not life-threatening. It discharged him from the main hospital premises and arranged follow-up through the outpatient orthopaedic clinic. The hospital later classified him as a “social case” and transferred him to a ward it manages at the Spanish Town Infirmary.

Thomas said he was moved there because his overseas-based relatives could not care for him at home. He described remaining confined to a bed while suffering persistent pain. At a July 3 clinic visit, he said staff told him the hospital could not admit him because beds were full and only one machine was working, while emergency cases were arriving.

The hospital confirmed that emergency cases contributed to the delay. “Though there is need for surgical intervention, the delay was compounded by the unavailability of the necessary implants required from the supplier, in addition to emergencies that took precedence over the patient’s case, based on the nature and severity of other cases/injuries, as per the hospital triage system,” it said.

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Though there is need for surgical intervention, the delay was compounded by the unavailability of the necessary implants required from the supplier, in addition to emergencies that took precedence over the patient’s case, based on the nature and severity of other cases/injuries, as per the hospital triage system.