Support Village Voice News With a Donation of Your Choice.
This is concerning. Very concerning. So concerning that it would be a dereliction of patriotic duty, if one is to disregard this OP-ED.
So where do we start? The beginning! The Covid pandemic, when a mysterious Middle Eastern Sheik, supplied thousands of doses of Sputnik V, which went to waste. However, cognisant we are of what transpired— A PPP surrogate was the beneficiary of tens of millions, even as thousands struggled to breath. As hundreds died. The many not here to read this PPP sordid story.
Specialty Hospitals
Thus, this sordid narrative we digest, to aid the assembling of these pieces, to better understand this PPP scheme. A scheme that articulated the construction of massive specialty hospitals, in which Indian nationals would be recruited to provide a service. However, their service wouldn’t be offered for free. For we the taxpayers, who would’ve funded the specialty hospitals, would’ve to fork out large sums of monies, if we are to use these facilities.
Notwithstanding, this is the reality—Our healthcare service is archaic at best, in which basics services aren’t available. Therefore, the question is, why invest in expensive specialty hospitals when we are unable to safely provide the basics?
Sheriff Group
Which takes us to the Sheriff Group, that’s now venturing into healthcare, having no prior experience, evident in this Stabroek News headline.
“Sheriff Group preparing to open US$5M Leonora Hospital
-works underway on US$200M Houston facility”
Thus, a snippet of the opening paragraph
“As Sheriff Group is preparing for the opening of its US multi-million dollar hospital at Leonora on lands formerly owned by convicted fraudster Edul ‘Ed’Ahmad, preparatory works have already begun for a US$200 million facility at Houston.”
The fact is, the Sheriff Group is in no way associated with healthcare. Therefore, the question is why are they now involved? Is it down to their association with PPP? Are they a part of a consortium that will take over our National Healthcare Sector? Are they a part of the Specialty Hospital project? Are they a part of PPP’s plans to privatise our healthcare?
3000 echocardiogram
Thus, we explore this recent stabroek News headline;
“Over 3000 require echocardiograms due to fire at GPHC lab
-Government to use private hospitals to address backlog”
However, this is the reality—This fire occurred in December 2021. Further, despite this fire, the Caribbean Heart Institute was still providing a cardiology intervention service. Thus this fact—A cardiology intervention service is closely linked with echocardiogram service. That is, cardiac interventions cannot be done without an echocardiogram. Which means, it’s either these patients had echocardiogram done privately, or the burnt unit was still providing a service. That said, it is highly impossible that 3000 echocardiograms would’ve been backlogged in less than two years. For this equates to 125 echocardiogram being requested per month.
Mark’s take
Now we decipher this PPP healthcare enigma, by first revisiting the mysterious Sheik who imported Sputnik V, in which PPP surrogates were the beneficiaries of tens of millions. Then our ears bled, as PPP championed specialty hospitals, in which their surrogates are lined up for massive profits, at our expense. After which, we observed the Sheriff Group inexplicably investing millions of US$ in hospitals. Thereafter, we were informed of an inexplicable backlog of over 3000 echocardiogram, to be outsourced to a private hospital. Therefore, the obvious question—What do all this mean in the context of one PPP source, Dr. Bobby Ramroop, providing all our pharmaceuticals?
Thus, this painful digestion—PPP has placed a For Sale sign on our healthcare and our health. Which have started with 3000 echocardiograms. Then will proceed to simple surgeries. Thereafter, it will evolve to complex surgeries. And before we know it, our healthcare will be provided, at an exorbitant cost, by PPP’s friends, families, and favourites.
Which means, the days of free healthcare are numbered. Our healthcare, will come at a cost. For we will be compelled to visit private hospitals, owned by those businessmen, who bankrolled PPP election campaigns. This means, one’s healthcare would be dependent on one’s chequebook and political standing.
Having said that, this has always been my argument, our public healthcare should be modernised to provide a quality service, regardless of status. Unfortunately, this isn’t the view of PPP, as they set out, in privatising our healthcare to their friends, families and favourites.