THE EDITOR, Sir:
I WRITE this letter in reply to the 'Young Doctor's Cry'. I, too, am a doctor who has worked in all the health facilities described by the young doctor and has been blessed with receiving overseas experience. I agree with his assessment. I described working at KPH as the government giving us a big paint brush and a tin of red 404 emulsion and saying, paint me a Picasso. It is an impossible task and to continue to quote statistics is putting on rose-coloured eyeglasses to the situation.
It remains to my utter amazement how over the years there seems to be a hush about the needs in the health care system by both the governments and the hospitals themselves. The general public has been played the story of 'The Emperor's New Clothes' - they think that they are getting gold when it is a piece of aluminium foil. Jamaica's public system is years behind the development of health care and the government is more than short-changing the people. I know that health care costs. It can easily consume the whole of the national budget. The solution will not be overnight but solutions are there and must be started, especially if we even want to see the light of health tourism (that's a joke for the current public system to even think about).
First, a big problem with the current system is organisation. As the doctor pointed out, the way some of the lab facilities are organised makes no sense for emergency service. The organi-sation on the wards to the departments needs to be adjusted for better flow of patients and information, but equally to increase the morale of the working staff at all levels. Many of them are depressed and stressed.
CONTINUED EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Second, continuing education and ongoing appraisal and rewards need to be a part of the culture. This also benefits patients. I believe that even from the level of the porters, some basic training so that they have a basic understanding of health care, and why their jobs are so important can make a difference in how quickly a job gets done, and makes all personnel from doctor, nurses, to the house-keeping staff feel as if they have something to give. Nurses need to have more scope for higher education and specialisation.
Third, the private sector and individuals need to get involved. In North America they are facing a health crisis due to the cost of health care. The public has fitted in where the government cannot. You only need to walk the corridors of any of the hospitals to see that an elevator, a room, even a small bit of equipment was donated by a company or an individual or a family. In Jamaica, this is not happening as widely as it needs to, as most persons do not know the needs and the facilities for doing this is so twisted that many are discouraged. It is always great to see thousands and millions donated to sports, but where are those donations to the health care system so that when the CEO of the big company has a heart attack and does not have time to fly overseas to save his life, the facilities for treating and saving his heart in the under six hours required is available and functioning? His/her life is saved so that through him another sporting venture can get another donation.
Jamaica, if we cannot save our health care system, then the health of our sports, economic and educational systems will fall, for where will the healthy personnel be? Oh, one last statement ... young doctor. I understand your reason for going - strange, it is the reason why I am coming back. Jamaica needs you and your passion more than North America or Europe. Here you can make a difference saving our lives and that of our children and grandchildren.
I am, etc.,
Dr. VICTOR ELLIOTT
spirit2emmanuel@yahoo.com
Ontario, Canada
Via Go-Jamaica
