FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton has broken his silence on the issue surrounding the Jamaican crew member aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise line's Adventure of the Seas , who reportedly had a miscarriage hours before the vessel arrived at the Falmouth Cruise Ship Pier on Tuesday.

Speaking at a media briefing at the pier in Trelawny yesterday, Dr Tufton said officials on the vessel rescinded the request to evacuate the expectant mother who had been in distress.

However, there was a rescinding or a suspension, if you will, of that request by that vessel, and a request to hold until the vessel was docked in port, and the report was that things were okay and could await the docking of the vessel,” said the health and wellness minister.

“We complied as a health authority with that change of request, and, in fact, when the vessel came in, there was an ambulance, there were doctors — including a senior medical officer — waiting on site to receive the patient in order to transport the patient to the hospital,” he said.

Added Dr Tufton: “There [has been] some information circulated in the media space suggesting that somehow the Government and the health authorities were complicit in the handling of this matter, and I just want to state categorically that we dialogued and we followed the instructions that were given, based on the communication with the vessel, and we were ready to treat with the patient as soon as the vessel docked here in Falmouth, at port.