At a press conference last week, aimed at countering widespread propaganda against the scheduled arrival of US Navy Ship Comfort, Dr Merlene Fredericks-James, Saint Lucia’s Chief Medical Officer, sought to reassure potential recipients of the floating hospital’s services. The USNS Comfort is expected to be in Saint Lucia from September 25 to 30. This week it was the turn of the US Embassy in Barbados, through its Public Affairs Officer Larry Soocha, to take a shot at dispelling the persistent rumours.
During a short interview this is what he told this reporter: “I understand that there are voice notes and other viral information out there implying there’s some negative ulterior motive to the US Comfort coming to Saint Lucia. I wouldn’t even call them rumours, I’d call them falsehoods. The USNS Comfort, in the last twelve years, has treated more than 400,000 patients and has performed more than 6,000 surgeries. The rumours are totally unfounded. You have not only American medical staff, you will have working on board the ship medical personnel from Saint Lucia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica.”
Among the social media anonymous allegations: members of the ship’s staff have been convicted of malpractice and that the plan is to use Saint Lucians as guinea pigs for various experiments. References have been made to America’s abuse of native Americans and Guatemalans in the name of research, without their consent. But Soocha insists that the USNS Comfort offers nothing but health aid. He said: “I can tell you that it’s 2019 and that this is a hospital ship which will provide free medical care for the benefit of Saint Lucians, and will do so openly and transparently with support of the host government. We are here and open about the mission.”
He referenced the falsohoods around USNS Comfort’s assistance to Haiti in 2010 following a deadly earthquake. Conspirators insist that the US induced the earthquake with a “tectonic machine” to later invade Haiti. “That was never true,” Soocha insisted. “We are here nine years later, and Haiti remains a sovereign independent country. The ship went to Haiti to provide over 850 on-board surgeries in the immediate aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.”
As for the many sceptics that insist America gives away nothing without a price, Soocha said: “I’d say that’s a pretty pessimistic attitude. I think that if you have an ailment, if you have an injury that fits into one of those areas—dentistry, optometry, physical therapy—I think it will be beneficial to you, your family and your community to take full advantage of available free medical care. I think those who are telling you not to receive medical care are doing an injustice to their communities and to their fellow citizens by spreading falsehoods.”
Saint Lucia is one of twelve countries that the USNS Comfort will visit during its five-month deployment. The staff hopes to perform over 100 surgeries, and anticipates providing service to 500 people per day during the walk-in service at the Owen King-European Union Hospital and at the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School. Patients are restricted to one consultation per visit. The deadline for submitting information for surgery was Friday, September 6.
