To listen to the ongoing debate about St. Jude and the OKEU hospitals, one would think this was all there is to health care. The suggestion is that the completion and opening of the two hospitals would solve Saint Lucia’s health care needs. This demands careful and rigorous analysis, not reckless criticism, especially if National Health Insurance is thrown in the mix. The to-ing and fro-ing about the completion of the named hospitals over the past ten years must cease. Opposition politicians and journalists in particular, have swallowed the health care bait hook, line and sinker without demanding what’s meant by health care, as opposed to sickness management—caring for the sick.
It’s high time politicians and health professionals stopped the self-serving politicking and educate people about a holistic approach to health care, as opposed to treating people who are sick at wellness centres and hospitals. Health care is a lifestyle every leader ought to advocate and practice. This includes regular exercise, eating small balanced meals, avoiding sugary substances, cigarettes and alcohol, while sleeping seven to eight hours at night.
A senior citizen once advised me that I should eat my medicine every day. By which she meant I should avoid sugar, eat vegetables, fruits and seafood, along with herbs, which may not be tasty but are perfect for body and mind. If we follow this simple advice we may discover there is less need to visit a doctor or health facility, especially during the most vibrant years of our lives—the first sixty.
The issue of a National Health Insurance scheme has been bandied about in isolation of a healthy lifestyle. The question of affordability is often raised in reference to National Health Insurance, proposed by the government. The idea for a National Health Insurance scheme was proposed around twenty-three years ago, when I last served in parliament. If it was easy, it would have been done a long time ago. I am yet to see a concrete plan on the way forward, beginning with a clear definition of health care as opposed to the management of the sick. How much would National Health Insurance cost? And the million-dollar question is: How would these costs be distributed through various age groups within the population?
If there is to be a national health plan, what proposals would best serve our needs? From what age would a person be covered by such a plan? How much would a healthy young person who lives a healthy lifestyle pay in monthly or yearly premiums, versus one who lives recklessly? What would be the cost to folks aged 35 to 55 years, who are at their peak income? And what would it cost those 56 years and over? Should a national health plan be designed so that each person pays the same premium?
Supposing a majority of Saint Lucians were fit and healthy, of what value would medical insurance be to them (except to safeguard a bank loan), in the prime of their time? Let me put this another way: Is it in the interest of insurance companies for citizens to practise healthy lifestyles? Insurance companies are aware that senior citizens need sickness management more often than do healthy young people. Tap into their expertise.
There is one more crucial question our politicians need to answer: Is there a place in a health insurance scheme for holistic herbal medicines including marijuana oils and other feel-good plant derivatives? If the nation were to pursue a healthy lifestyle would some health providers become jobless? My response is that smart people can always find alternative use for their God-given talents. Insurance companies, on the other hand, may take issue with the government if it were to introduce a National Health Insurance plan that covers the entire citizenry, thereby reducing the need for private insurance.
In this regard, we must demand from our politicians that they cease and desist from spewing loose talk about St. Jude and OKEU hospitals, as if they were the be-all and end-all needed for a healthy nation. You must have noticed, dear reader, how little they emphasize the value of the workers who are building the hospital, and the nurses and doctors, who work to restore patients to health. When these hospitals are fully functional we must ensure they do not fall into the hands of crooks and vagabonds posing as politicians, with greedy and dishonest health care professional hacks. It’s time for the more serious politicians to teach people health care. They must dispose of their fancy digital timepieces and replace them with a ‘fitbit’ wristwatch.
They ought to aim at no less than ten thousand steps per day on their fitbit and to double that number on weekends. People must be inspired to walk by the example their politicians set. In addition, politicians should not be seen gorging on sugary foods or stuffing themselves as if they were competing in an eating contest. Monster-bellied politicians bring to mind “Do as I say, don’t do as I do” conmen. The ignorant may ridicule people who lose weight but these ignoramuses must stop the hypocrisy and man-up to the fact that a trim adult male or female, is usually healthier than their overweight critics. A fit and trim person is more likely to be living his or her best life, without making a fuss about it. Then again, in our salt-fish society, jealousy abounds.
When politicians and those who know better keep harping on about St. Jude and OKEU, what they are doing is disrespecting people who lack information on health care versus sickness management. It’s a New Year; time to turn a new page; time to focus on praising the workers at our health institutions who give so much. They must also spare a thought for the workers building the new St. Jude hospital.
