And it’s more often than not, we are bombarded with PPP disinformation, making ludicrous claims of reforming a Healthcare Sector, supposedly mismanaged by APNU+AFC. However, faced with our painful realities, we are forced to question, if the Healthcare Sector they’ve reformed, why death is forever at our doorsteps? In fact, if the Healthcare Sector they’ve reformed, why many of our mothers are now dying in childbirth?
Moreover, if the Healthcare Sector they’ve reformed, why are we now having astronomical numbers of newborn deaths? Furthermore, if the Healthcare Sector they’ve reformed, why are we now counted in the worse cases of avoidable deaths? Additionally, if the Healthcare Sector they’ve reformed, why do we now count among the highest in the Region, for childhood deaths?
But PPP intoxicated with arrogance, disregard our many questions, so continued with their disinformation that they’ve reformed the Healthcare Sector, supposedly mismanaged by APNU+AFC. However, their disinformation campaign was brought to an eye-opening halt, when the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), paid our healthcare facilities an inspection visit, in 2022. And it was from this inspection visit, the masses were shocked to discover, none of our hospitals after 27yrs of PPP, had continuous treated water, basic medicines, or a continuous electrical supply.
Furthermore, from this inspection visit under this installed regime, it was revealed that 24 hospitals, which include GPHC, are in deplorable states of disrepair. Moreover, again from this inspection, it was painfully realised that many of our hospitals after 27yrs of PPP, are without basic equipment such as, doppler machines, sterilisers, ultrasound machines, uterine evacuation equipment, sets for IUCD contraceptives insertion and cold storage for medicines and vaccines.
And additionally, in this PPP Healthcare Sector, there are no facilities for safe hazardous medical waste disposal, forcing many hospitals to undertake public burning of their hazardous medical waste. Thus, with such an archaic PPP healthcare, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many of our acute hospitals, which treat some of our sickest patients, are without functional ambulance and EMTs.
In fact, it was under APNU+AFC, when the practice of patients bed sharing was thoroughly addressed, through patient flow management, expansion of bed numbers etc. However, with PPP installed, saw the recurrence of the dark days of patient bed sharing, all as a result of corruption and mismanagement. And it was this corruption and mismanagement, which extended to healthcare planning, such that GPHC, the main tertiary hospital serving the nation, has a paltry six operating theatres for elective and emergency surgeries.
Moreover, it’s this corruption and mismanagement impacting the Emergency Services, such that at capacity the Emergency Department (ED), could only accommodate half the number of patients presenting on any given day. As a result, with this limited capacity, it’s not unusual that patients who present for emergency care, are crowded at the main entrance, desperate to make it into the limited ED rooms. Furthermore, with limited areas to assess emergency patients, it should come as no surprise that the ED is without a designated paediatric, psychological or isolation areas.
Indeed, the aforementioned deplorable states, represent only a fraction of the damning findings, exposed by the IDB inspection report. However, with the shocking state of the Healthcare Sector laid bare by the IDB, PPP rather than take responsibility, is unashamedly pointing accusatory fingers at APNU+AFC. But the reality is, the dire state of our Healthcare Sector is as a direct consequence of PPP, considering they have been in power for 27 out of the past 32yrs.
As a matter of fact, even with billions of dollars in oil monies at their disposal, the incompetent PPP, of grand corruption and mismanagement, continue to fail our Healthcare Sector. And it’s for this very reason, our healthcare infrastructure and facilities are still in deplorable states, as articulated in the 2022, IDB report. Additionally, with grand corruption and mismanagement pervasive, mean our mortality indices, a marker of good healthcare, continue to represent some of the worse in Latin America and the Caribbean.
