Authorities say visiting U.S. hospital ship will be well vetted

Top officials at the Ministry of Health and External Affairs on Thursday convened a press conference to address the scheduled visit by the United States’ Navy hospital ship the USNS Comfort, scheduled to be here from 23 September to 3 October. According to a press release from the US Embassy in Barbados, the visit is part of the ship’s five-month deployment to Latin America and the Caribbean, and another indication of the deepening of U.S. engagement in the region. The ship will also make stops in Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and other countries. 

Reaction to the planned visit has been varied. Some have anonymously suggested its part of a plan to use Saint Lucians as guinea pigs for hidden American agendas. Reference has been made to the 1946-1948 Guatemala syphilis experiments, during which—a 2011 report by the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues found—over one thousand Guatemalans were infected with syphilis, gonorrhea and chancroid without their consent. In 2010, an apology was issued by the US government that reads in part: “We are outraged that such reprehensible research could have occurred under the guise of public health. We deeply regret that it happened, and we apologise to all the individuals who were affected by such abhorrent research practices.”

At Thursday’s press conference were Chief Medical Officer Dr. Merlene Fredericks-James; Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Department of External Affairs Irene Gaspard; Medical Officer of Health Dr. Sharon Belmar-George; and Senior Dental Surgeon Sherry Ephraim-Le Compte.

“All of the health professionals—doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and allied health professionals—will be properly vetted before they are allowed to practice on our soil,” said Dr. Fredericks-James. “The processes that we are going to apply to the health professionals aboard this floating hospital are essentially the same processes we have in-house for our local, as well as other voluntary persons who may come.”

Frederick-James confirmed that this will not be the first time a voluntary mission has traveled to the island. In all cases, she assured, before medical professionals can treat a patient the councils undergo the necessary due diligence to ensure all is in order. She called on citizens to have faith and confidence in the procedures. 

Additionally: “We are also vetting the list of medications and medical supplies to be used while in Saint Lucia.Such a list has been requested and is presently with the drug inspector, who is the authority on the law to review all medical supplies and medications imported into Saint Lucia.”

Dr. Belmar-George said there will be two walk-in clinics during the ship’s stay. One will be operated from the Owen King European Union Hospital (OKEU), while the other location, which will be in the north, has not been confirmed. General services provided at the clinics will include: internal medicine, pediatrics, general medicine, dental services, optometry, physical therapy, dermatology and pharmacy. Each clinic can see up to 500 persons per day. The ship will be docked at the Castries harbor, where 100 beds for general admission and 30 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds will be available. The following surgery types can be accessed: ophthalmology, urology, orthopedic, oral maxillofacial, plastic and wound care. 

She encouraged individuals who wish to access these procedures to send in a referral from their physician to the Ministry of Health before September 6.  Diagnostic services will also be provided and will include CT Scan, ultra-sound, X-ray, echocardiogram, laparoscopy and stool and urine testing.