NDP or ULP hospital, which will it be??

DEY’S HARDLY ah week dat our Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) does not come-in foh criticism. Is more like ah Cry-ticism, people literally cry when dey go to de Hospital to be told dey’s no medicare-shun foh dey Sugar or Pressure, two ah de most prevalent non-communicable diseases in SVG, maybe de world.

People come-plain dat dey have gone to every District Clinic between Kingstown and Georgetown in desperation, only to be told dat dey’s no Pressure or Sugar tablets.

Should I men-shun de long hours of waiting at de Accident & Emergency (A& E) unit before getting to see ah Doctor. Ah overs though, dat even in de more developed countries, long waiting at de A& E units is nothing new. Here in SVG, things like
X-rays and Blood Tests could be frustray-shun at times sorry, most times. Ah remember in my own case going to de Laboratory at de MCMH to have some blood works done, only to be told dat ah would have to check ah private Lab foh ah PSA. Dey simply did not have de “whatever” to do dat particular test.

However in spite of all de limitations and bad publicity dat de MCMH gets, dey’s ah bright light dat shines at de MCMH.

De hospital has made tremendous strides in Pediatrics, medical care in infants and children. To dis end de World Pediatrics Project (WPP) ah non-profit organ-I-sayshun wid ah mission to heal critically ill children and build health care capacity in de world, has adopted our Pediatric Ward at de MCMH and together wid our local team, de names Dr Dhatta and Sister Jackie Brown come to mind, dey are doing a One-dah-ful job. In fact, in SVG children from across de region, are treated at MCMH. Ah talking bout serious surgery from head to toe, including heart, with record success in Pediatric services. Dis is ah service dat dis country will never be able to afford.

Some of de kids have been flown to de USA where only some ah these operations can be done, and everything is Free!.

We are still ah long way from proper health care, so dat when one hears de PM announce dat we will be getting ah Modern Medical Facility at de former ET Joshua Airport compound, one immediately breath ah sigh of hope, ah will not say Optim-is-him, because deep down we know dat will be one ah de slow-gun foh de 2020 Elect-shuns. Is like only yesterday during de heat ah de 2015 Electshun calm-pain, that Hon Daniel Cummings (ah man whose professional creditability ah hold with great respect) presented de NDP’s proposals foh ah modern Medical Facility foh SVG in West St George.

De incumbent ULP was caught wid its pants down as de Go-venom-mint had become financially dehydrated, all dey NRG was spent fighting foh almost ten years to get de Argyle Inter-nah-shun-all Airport finished; dey had no answer to de NDP’s plans, except to rubbish it on de pull-it-tek-all platform. NDP Plans included ah simple proposal like helicopter service foh emergency cases in de Grenadines. “Farmville!”

dey called it. “Not possible! Way will dey get ah site?

Wild image-I-inay-shuns!” dey said.

“But Alas!” We getting ah brand new “top-ahde- line” Hospital, and way dey putting it? In Arnos Vale, in de heart ah de same West St George.

Lie-Za say NDP proposal might ah bin ah SHAM but ULP’s is ah SHAME! But as she puts it, we need ah Top-ah-de-line Medical Facility, and we will get one. She is always having these sleepless nights seeing things in de future.

She say she had ah vision and she is adamant dat she knows who will deliver de Hospital, when it will be delivered and who will pay foh it.

Israel Bruce is not ah Johnny Come Lately politician. He replaces Senator Barnwell ah creditable candidate who did ah good job in de House, Lie-Za thinks dat she got more Labour Love from de Speaker dan anyone else. But Bruce did his time getting his Bruise-in in de trenches. Ah Lawyer who does his client wuk widout fear or fear-foh. Ah work foh him occasionally and he is ah man-of- actshun! He has pull-it-tek-all NRG and dey will be lots ah Bruise-in and Butt-in when he and So-Butt-her do pull-it-tek-all battle..

And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

● Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.