Dear Editor,
I wonder if those who were calling for the health minister, among others, to be fired or the prime minister to make a statement about the situation that was supposedly revealed in that health audit are now happy and convined that the problems will go away?
Why must we continue to think that problems like these can always be fixed by firing people or making speeches? Let's not fool ourselves, these problems that were "revealed" by that health audit have been with us for years. I, for one, am sure that the genesis of much of these problems is funding, and the cause of that is that political decision that was made by the previous Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government and continued by the current People's National Party (PNP) one. This is the removal of user fees.
Many of these problems are basic: Operating theatres without proper doors, doctors not having basic things like enough antibacterial soaps and gloves, malfunctioning medical machines, and the lot. We all know these problems and most of us know how we can reduce them. We are just too coward to do the right thing.
This "great" idea of removing user fees from our hospitals years ago was welcomed by most as a great relief for everybody and especially the poor. Indeed, both the JLP and the PNP told us that the removal of these fees is proof that they loved the poor. Now, we can clearly see that this is not loving the poor at all. What's the point of having free health care if it is putting the health of the public at risk?
So what now?
I know that most of us cannot afford the true cost of a hospital or clinic visit, but surely, most of us can make a contribution. I propose that a clinic fee of $200 be required for each first-time visit and $500 for each first-time hospital visit. If a hospital sees only one hundred patients each day, that would work out to over $18 million for the year. That can buy a lot of soaps, other basic accessories, and fix a few doors that can reduce some of these threatening conditions.
At the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, I think a charge of $5,000 dollars for each expectant mother should be charged. Women don't get pregnant out of the blue and the last surprise virgin birth occurred over 2000 years ago, so both mommy and daddy must can save the money within the nine months to go to that hospital.
Of course, I don't believe that anyone should be denied health care just because they cannot pay, but we must start making the effort to collect something. Let's be real, if we can find thousands of dollars to buy cellphones and false hair, we can find the few dollars to look about our health.
Michael A Dingwall
michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com
Free is expensive, so restore the fees
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I wonder if those who were calling for the health minister, among others, to be fired or the prime minister to make a statement about the situation that was supposedly revealed in that health audit are now happy and convined that the problems will go away?
Why must we continue to think that problems like these can always be fixed by firing people or making speeches? Let's not fool ourselves, these problems that were "revealed" by that health audit have been with us for years. I, for one, am sure that the genesis of much of these problems is funding, and the cause of that is that political decision that was made by the previous Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government and continued by the current People's National Party (PNP) one. This is the removal of user fees.
Many of these problems are basic: Operating theatres without proper doors, doctors not having basic things like enough antibacterial soaps and gloves, malfunctioning medical machines, and the lot. We all know these problems and most of us know how we can reduce them. We are just too coward to do the right thing.
This "great" idea of removing user fees from our hospitals years ago was welcomed by most as a great relief for everybody and especially the poor. Indeed, both the JLP and the PNP told us that the removal of these fees is proof that they loved the poor. Now, we can clearly see that this is not loving the poor at all. What's the point of having free health care if it is putting the health of the public at risk?
So what now?
I know that most of us cannot afford the true cost of a hospital or clinic visit, but surely, most of us can make a contribution. I propose that a clinic fee of $200 be required for each first-time visit and $500 for each first-time hospital visit. If a hospital sees only one hundred patients each day, that would work out to over $18 million for the year. That can buy a lot of soaps, other basic accessories, and fix a few doors that can reduce some of these threatening conditions.
At the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, I think a charge of $5,000 dollars for each expectant mother should be charged. Women don't get pregnant out of the blue and the last surprise virgin birth occurred over 2000 years ago, so both mommy and daddy must can save the money within the nine months to go to that hospital.
Of course, I don't believe that anyone should be denied health care just because they cannot pay, but we must start making the effort to collect something. Let's be real, if we can find thousands of dollars to buy cellphones and false hair, we can find the few dollars to look about our health.
Michael A Dingwall
michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com
Free is expensive, so restore the fees
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