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Garbage pile raises concern at St Joseph’s Hospital
July 25, 2025
A pile of garbage has been seemingly sitting for weeks inside St Joseph's Hospital in Kingston, raising concerns among staff and paitients at the medical facility.
Black garbage bags and white ones, and cardboard boxes with flies were strewn along one of the hospital's roadways leading to some wards. The buildings stand metres from the filth.
The pile is not comprised of medical waste, which would have been an even greater concern, the hospital's CEO, Dr Christopher Munroe, stated on Friday. He said it was ordinary waste that had accumulated, having not been collected due to technical issues with the contracted garbage collector.
"The matter is being attended to. It's not our fault at St Joseph's Hospital why it is not yet been collected," Munroe told The STAR Friday morning. "The people who are to collect it are having some technical issues. Everything on our side has already been procured, and they have been given the green light to pick up. It is not from our end."
Munroe did not disclose the name of the private contractor and declined to say for how long the garbage has been uncollected. With regard to potential health problems from the heap, Munroe said "If there were any concerns it (garbage) would not be there." He could not say when the garbage will be collected.
In the meantime, Audley Gordon, executive director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), explained that, generally, garbage collection at hospitals is done by private contractors. The NSWMA only steps in during emergencies. He could not say whether the entity was contacted regarding the situation at St Joseph's.
"In emergencies, I remember one time at KPH there was an issue with their private collector, and we were called. St Joseph's has also done that already. So we do get those kinds of calls, but it's not often," said Gordon.
"This is no different from other entities who would have called us from time to time to do a trip or two because they are having issues with their contractors," he explained.
- Corey Robinson
