Dear Editor,
There were two recent events in the health sector that highlighted why an urgent change away from "free" health care is needed. One is the death of a young man at Spanish Town Hospital and the other is the strike that took place by records staff at some hospitals over a lack of stationery, among other things.
The two incidents may have been prevented had the political decision to institute "free" health care for all not been taken a few years ago.
There is no point having people wait for hours and, in the case of that young man in Spanish Town, to death, to get the service that is deserved. Both the doctors and nurses will tell you that they are being worked to death. How can we have hospitals being run without vital office stationery like paper and ink? These are examples of how this "free" service is costing us a lot.
I still believe that it would have been better if we ask people visiting these hospitals to pay a small fee. Many of these hospitals see scores of people each day. A small fee can go a long way in helping to improve the service that these people are getting.
Interestingly, I saw a senior doctor being interviewed and he said that Jamaica currently has too many doctors. I wondered why is it that we are overworking our doctors and nurses when there are unemployed ones who would be very happy to get a job.
Why don't we start charging a small fee and use the funds raised to pay for an extra doctor and nurse or two and dedicate these to the outpatient sections, which is where most people have their first contact with hospitals?
While I know that some of us will never be able to afford to pay no matter how little the fee will be — and in such cases special provisions should be made — I still believe that most of us will understand the need for the fee.
Those of us who have to go to these hospitals and wait forever to see the doctor wouldn't mind helping to pay for an extra doctor or two, as such additions will help to shorten the time people have to wait and help relieve the stress currently facing doctors and nurses.
This "free" health system is clearly costing too much. Dying people seems to be a powerful motivator for us Jamaicans to get things moving. While it is very unfortunate, let's hope that the death of that man at Spanish Town Hosoital will cause our authorities to start looking at ways to get those who use the health service to pay something, no matter how small. Free is proving to be anything but free.
Michael A Dingwall
michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com
'Freeniss' sometimes costs too much
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There were two recent events in the health sector that highlighted why an urgent change away from "free" health care is needed. One is the death of a young man at Spanish Town Hospital and the other is the strike that took place by records staff at some hospitals over a lack of stationery, among other things.
The two incidents may have been prevented had the political decision to institute "free" health care for all not been taken a few years ago.
There is no point having people wait for hours and, in the case of that young man in Spanish Town, to death, to get the service that is deserved. Both the doctors and nurses will tell you that they are being worked to death. How can we have hospitals being run without vital office stationery like paper and ink? These are examples of how this "free" service is costing us a lot.
I still believe that it would have been better if we ask people visiting these hospitals to pay a small fee. Many of these hospitals see scores of people each day. A small fee can go a long way in helping to improve the service that these people are getting.
Interestingly, I saw a senior doctor being interviewed and he said that Jamaica currently has too many doctors. I wondered why is it that we are overworking our doctors and nurses when there are unemployed ones who would be very happy to get a job.
Why don't we start charging a small fee and use the funds raised to pay for an extra doctor and nurse or two and dedicate these to the outpatient sections, which is where most people have their first contact with hospitals?
While I know that some of us will never be able to afford to pay no matter how little the fee will be — and in such cases special provisions should be made — I still believe that most of us will understand the need for the fee.
Those of us who have to go to these hospitals and wait forever to see the doctor wouldn't mind helping to pay for an extra doctor or two, as such additions will help to shorten the time people have to wait and help relieve the stress currently facing doctors and nurses.
This "free" health system is clearly costing too much. Dying people seems to be a powerful motivator for us Jamaicans to get things moving. While it is very unfortunate, let's hope that the death of that man at Spanish Town Hosoital will cause our authorities to start looking at ways to get those who use the health service to pay something, no matter how small. Free is proving to be anything but free.
Michael A Dingwall
michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com
'Freeniss' sometimes costs too much
-->