Wehner says Sir Molwyn’s failures outweigh his successes in managing the public healthcare system
Health Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph continues to mismanage the
country’s healthcare system, charges George Wehner, the United
Progressive Party’s mobilization officer.
Since Joseph took up the reins as minister of health, there have been
several negative incidents, including dead bodies decaying in a
malfunctioning container freezer; hospital equipment regularly
being out of service; patients being unable to have tests done at the
medical centre’s lab; and a rodent infestation in its kitchen.
While some residents would contend say that Joseph has made some
strides in healthcare, including putting mechanisms in place for the
Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre to conduct kidney transplants, the
disasters during his tenure outweigh any positive strides, Wehner
says.
It was just about two weeks ago that surgeries, except for
emergency cases, were postponed due to a non-functional sterilizer.
The most recent debacle is that a dead body remained at the
hospital for over a day – after both funeral homes refused to accept
it because of an ongoing financial situation.
Although all these mishaps have occurred during Joseph’s tenure,
Wehner notes that he was knighted, reportedly for his handling of
the COVID-19 pandemic – and now the Eastern Caribbean Cancer
Centre has closed down under his watch.
As a result, Wehner is making a call for the minister of health to
resign – if he has any integrity left – and asking whether the
hospital’s board is functioning.
In the meantime, challenges to the public healthcare system
reportedly were discussed during the Cabinet meeting of
Wednesday, July 26 – including patients’ long wait for an MRI scan at
the country’s lone public hospital.
Therefore, the Executive reportedly has agreed to purchase an
additional MRI machine in order to reduce patients’ wait time and to
increase the speed with which MRI diagnoses can take place.
It was noted that MRIs are very costly, and many patients cannot
afford to pay for the procedure. Hence, the Cabinet says it is acting
to ensure that those who lack the resources will not be deprived of
such services.
