St Jude Controversy: PM Declares Opposition Criticism of Government Policy as “Scare Tactics!”

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n Wednesday April 25 the country found itself more than usually weighed down by speculation and concern for the future of Saint Lucia’s healthcare. The Saint Lucia Medical and Dental Association (SLMDA) held a press conference at which the group’s president, Dr. Alphonsus St. Rose, referred to the island’s current healthcare situation as a “crisis”.

In a release issued to the media prior to the conference St. Rose stated, “This healthcare crisis is as much a national imperative as it is about humanitarian issues and human dignity.” He added: “The example of St. Jude Hospital being housed in the most shameful and deplorable of conditions—“a dungeon of shame”—for nine years now, speaks volumes. This unfortunately will continue for at least two more years in a most embarrassing, inhumane, undignified and unhealthy environment.”

Also at the meeting was the director of Interisland Architects and Planners Limited, Mark Hennecart. He was of the view that critical wings of the rebuilt hospital could be opened gradually, eventually leading to it becoming fully functional by February of 2019. Meanwhile the official assessment is to the contrary.

In response to Hennecart’s claims, a seemingly incensed Prime Minister Allen Chastanet on Thursday sniffed: “Mark Hennecart? Really? The same Mark Hennecart that got fired from the job in Soufriere and still has not gotten over it? That Mark Hennecart is going to walk into the property one afternoon and make an assessment as to what it is? Come on!”

Additionally: “How can I, as a government minister, go to the people in the south to say, after they’ve waited all his time, we’re going to give them a sub-par hospital?

Alarms were also sounded on Wednesday morning at a seperate conference held by the Saint Lucia Labour Party where the St Jude and Owen King EU hospitals were discussed. There, party leader, Phillip J. Pierre declared: “The people of Saint Lucia are at a loss regarding the privatization of the OK-EU Hospital. Our position is clear, there should be no privatization of the OK-EU hospital. There has not been enough discussion or diaglogue with the people of Saint Lucia or other health interest groups on a policy that will affect the lives of all who live here.”

Referencing Pierre’s comments on Thursday morning, the prime minister said: “I continuously become more and more concerned with the strategy of the opposition that continuously employs scare tactics.” He wished to put everyone at ease, he said, while his government took salutary action, one step at a time.

On the matter of privatization, the PM said: “When we came in, there was no plan as to how the opening of OK-EU was going to be funded. If in fact government is going to finance OK-EU by itself, then all the people who are going to be appointed on the board are going to be appointed by government. But they would have to make the day to day decisions by themselves. We are in discussions with several groups to determine what’s the best way forward.”

He asked: “Is it better to bring in a company to manage the entity? Whether it’s the Cubans, Canadians, Indians, Martinique? Those discussions were taking place before my government came into office. So what’s so different now?” What we have to do now is make a decision. It is a point most Saint Lucians would agree with!