On reading this most recent PPP press release, inferred it has to be, that they are consuming way too potent hallucinogens. For how else one can explain this mass Freedom House hallucination, on an improved healthcare sector? Whenever so often, we are haunted by tragic media stories, both on the social and printed, of calamitous care our loved ones received. But yet the cluelessly incompetent PPP, would want us to believe, that they having waved a magic wand, transformed the healthcare sector, the moment they were installed. However, transformed it wasn’t, when they made a disaster of Covid, recording one of the worst death rates. Furthermore, transformed it wasn’t, when they made a mountain out of a molehill, in mismanaging the dengue endemic. As a matter of fact, transformed it wasn’t, when they mismanaged our pregnant women, leading to skyrocketing maternal deaths. And it’s these very clueless, likely burdened with cortical blindness, who are boasting that the healthcare sector has improved under their watch.
As a result, none expected to see such severe shortages of medicines, nurses and doctors, when the media cameras were focused on Skeldon Hospital. But that’s what confronted many, even as PPP attempted to hoodwink us into believing, medicine supplies have improved from an APNU+AFC low of 35%, to a now PPP high of 95%. Thus, of such hogwash, this we query.
Why would the public now raise concerns when medications availability is high with PPP but stood silent when it was low with APNU+AFC?
Therefore, this writer’s commonsensical postulation. With APNU+AFC, medicines availability was much higher, which drastically decreased with PPP, hence the public outcries.
However, the party of the cluelessly incompetent, went on to assert that at the very Skeldon Hospital, doctors’ staffing numbers have drastically improved since the dark days of APNU+AFC. Which begs the question?
- Why is the populace now complaining of doctors’ shortage at a point when numbers are supposedly improved?
- Why didn’t they complain when the numbers were supposedly low under APNU+AFC?
Nevertheless, this writer would propose a more rational scenario. Consistent with the mass resignation of healthcare professionals under PPP, their numbers have precipitously fallen, explanatory to the increased numbers of complaints in the media.
And it’s for this reason we explore complaints, which hospitals generally used as a barometer of quality in patient care. Thus, recognising it as an important barometer, hospitals would employ robust systems, for patients and their loved ones, to register complaints. In fact, cognisant of the varied demographics of the service users, healthcare providers wouldn’t just permit one communication medium for complaint registration e.g telephone. As a matter of fact, they would permit multiple communication media for complaint registration, namely telecommunication, email, social media, face-to-face etc. Furthermore, their systems would be of such that complaints are handled by a patient friendly complaint unit, with each complaint adhering to a strict time to investigation.
Therefore, it’s in this context we examine PPP complaint service, which is mostly telephone centred, and by its nature excludes the elderly and those in the hinterlands. Therefore, with such a significant cohort and more excluded, it’s hardly surprising that over a 6-month period, only 77 complaints were registered. However, considering our patient population, this small number of national complaints, is likely down to underreporting. Which evidence, the PPP complaint service isn’t easily accessible by a wide cross section of the population, thus isn’t fit for purpose. And it’s for this reason, complainants would turn to the printed and social media, to raise their concerns. Nevertheless, despite the easy accessibility and pervasiveness of social media, the clueless PPP, contrary to international practice, haven’t extended their complaint service to social media.
Mark’s Take
Thus, in the absence of scientific data and guided by anecdotal evidence, this writer has to conclude, the healthcare quality under PPP, generally reflects a decline. Where this decline is no more evident, than with the rising maternal deaths, over the past 3yrs. The rising maternal deaths, that PPP had resolved to thoroughly investigate, which nonetheless hasn’t materialised.
Having said that, the time for independent professional regulation of healthcare providers, is long overdue. In fact, this would undoubtedly provide a scientific assessment of the healthcare sector, negating PPP political and unscientific propaganda. And it’s for this reason, PPP in power for 26 of the past 31yrs, haven’t enacted such a body, since they’re satisfied with their politicised assessment of our healthcare sector. A delusional politicised assessment, which was evident in their most recent propaganda piece on their substandard healthcare sector.
