Dear Mr. Joseph
As a Sr officer of the medical staff at SLBMC, it would be remiss of me if I do not tip my hat to you for the good job that you have done so far, as our health minister.
It is evident, that under your watch I think that our health system is making strides. No longer do dialysis patients have to travel overseas for treatment. Kidney patients are getting transplants done here. Advance procedure such as Laparoscopic surgeries are done here also and within the very near future, heart surgeries will be coming on stream.
Of course, the extensive work done by you & your technical team during the pandemic cannot be overlooked. Clearly, you are surely taking our health care system in the right direction.
Now Sir, if we turn the page and zoom in on the flip side, there have been too many complaints about the basic day to day operations of the hospital along with some unfavorable situations that some patients have encountered due to irresponsible practices of our medics. Immediately, these complaints need to be address, if we, as a nation are working seriously towards taking this country to the next level and transforming it into an Economic Power House.
Undoubtly, health care always form the main corner stone of a country. Therefore, SLBMC, our main medical facility should be operating at its optimum. Moreso, since we depend primarily on tourism, we cannot allow our medical facility to fail us.
As a result, it is my view that the following areas should be addressed by you and the administration of the hospital sooner than later
1. The ER unit: This unit is certainly an area of great concern. The waiting time to see a doctor is very burdensome. Persons have to wait extremely too long before seeing a doctor.
2. The Polyclinics : These facilities should be open daily up to 12 midnight. It would relieve the medical staff at SLBMC the frustration, pressure & stress from the large number of patients seeking medical attention.
3. The trauma of being overworked: The junior doctors & nurses are overwhelmed with worked: These doctors are working 28 to 30 hours without sleep or rest causing them to fall sick. I think a doctor who is on call should work a maximum of 12 hours to minimize any human errors.
4. Proper accountability: A system should be in place to allow a patient the privilege to file complaints & seek a recourse of action concerning traumatic medical matters that patients have experienced. Some faulty medical incidents are swept under the table.
5. A national Insurance : Unlike MBS which caters for certain diseases, a national insurance is needed so that even the poor can be assisted with financial aid for surgeries done locally or overseas.
6. Training: the nurses & auxiliary staff needs training in customer service, conflict resolution & stress management. Some staff are too boisterous & unfriendly. A simple smile can do wonders to a patient
7. A medical database : The present manual system of writing up records need to be fully computerized & networked which will give doctors especially in the ER a first hand view of a patient’s history upon admission.
8. Concessions: Doctors & nurses salaries are low. They should be insured at the expense of the government and given other benefits concessions on houses, lands, cars
9. Feedback: The Administrative staff should have as a part of their function, routine visits to patients to get feed backs of their treatment, complaints while on ward.
9. Inventory & procurement: Basic supplies such as sheets, toiletries, sanitizers should be in place at all time for the patients.
10. Shortage of staff: An increase in doctors & nurses are needed. Doctors are presently doing nurses functions & nurses are doing auxiliary staff function.
11. Meals for patients: Upon delivery, the meals including tea to the patients are cold or luke warm. The patient should receive hot meals at all time unless prescribed otherwise by the doctor.
Alex
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Indeed ABLP has done a better job with our hospital than UPP…… Infact I could not state it better than the author about the improvements needed for our hospital to stay on the competitive edge. Some internal operations are long overdue for overhauling
The author of this letter to Minister Joseph. This person commends the Minister and his team for the strides made in providing adequate healthcare to our nation and provides a comprehensive list of outstanding matters that they would like to see addressed all of which are valid concernd. Our discourse should be headed in that direction. Enough Respect!!!!
Exactly my thought. After the author big him up for such great job then there’s a looong list of complaints. How smart!!
@lanec, mr.alex told us that he is senior at the hospital, so that is how he has had to survive. If you don’t kiss that man arse, he tries to oust you.
Meanwhile those around him walk on shells and have no backbone
With respect Alex, you do make many valid points, however, you – like many others in your profession – haven’t addressed, or have been silenced to address the Covid-19 “elephant” in the room.
Here’s one of the main reasons the global health service is suffering as well at present:
Dr John Campbell’s recent YouTube video has highlighted the current problems in the health service around the world.
Titled ‘Excess Deaths, MP calls for urgent and thorough investigation …’
Alex, I do appreciate your work and your concerns to the Health Minister, but please remember to mention all causations that are effecting you and your colleagues.
Oh! Where’s that elephant gone?
… and by the way, does anyone know what has happened to our own Dr. Rhonda Sealey-Thomas?
After much vaccination fanfare she was filmed and photographed taking the AstraZeneca vaccine 18 months or so ago … I haven’t seen head nor tail of her since!!!
Can anyone enlighten the Antiguan public to her whereabouts?
A job well done? That is laughable. No minister of this current ALP administration has done anything well except bring the ministry to the dirt. We are still waiting a week for a prescription to be filled, basic necessities are frequently missing, Fines is a mess, the clinics are in disrepair, some are not even open on a consistent basis. What good job?
And never forget the man sat quietly and encouraged citizens to be injected with the C19 poisons. Now people are dropping dead as a result. Oh, they will never admit this to be the case,but the data is there. There are very few Antiguans and Barbudans who are not attending funerals regularly. By the way, where is the 2.16 million cemetery money, Molyn?
And remember also I haven’t received my covid-19 monies as yet…….I’m still waiting
JJ, you will wait eternally
Alex, please add proper grammar to the list of things that must be addressed
People don’t care about no good health, every weekend they drink up rum soca and sun. Do you see the lines at the breadshops
Allsaints Clinic don’t function
Dental clinic don’t function
There needs to be a new health minister, MJ is no longer in his prime. He is old cold bold and told. Did I mention sold?… 30 for 10…lol
Senior doctors at mount St. John get big big big bucks but are missing in action. Some practice in New York , next door, next island
Frakly Alex, this is a waste of my time even reading your letter but keep on dreaming
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