THE EDITOR, Sir:
OVER THE past fifty years or so, scientists have brought about a phenomenal improvement in the quality of our medical services. This is partly due to the development of new and more
efficient drugs for treating diseases, as well as the invention of more improved diagnostic state-of-the-art equipment. Bearing this in mind, one would have thought that it would have now become much easier for doctors to treat their patients and thus save lives. However, it seems to me that a number of lives are now being needlessly lost.
A few weeks ago, there was a vehicle
collision. A man had one of his legs crushed. He was taken by a sympathetic motorist to the nearest hospital. At this hospital, he was given some painkillers, and after keeping him for three hours he was then transferred by ambulance to one of our city hospitals. At this hospital, he was kept for several hours more without receiving any treatment. He was then sent to another hospital to have an X-ray done. After the X-ray was done, the patient was then returned to the hospital from where he came. The long and short of it is, the man died within another 12 hours time. At the post-mortem it was concluded, I understand, that he succumbed to his injuries because he did not receive prompt treatment.
A week after this incident I heard on a Talk Show programme another tale of horror similar to the one already mentioned. It is the story of another young man who was in a motor vehicle accident and had a machete lodged in his foot. He was taken to the hospital nearest to him with the machete still lodged in his foot. After several hours there, without any treatment, he was then transferred to another hospital with the machete still embedded in his foot. He again waited for several hours in this hospital before he was finally seen by a very tired doctor. While this very tired doctor was examining the man's foot, the machete fell out. He then proceeded to clean and dress the wound. To end this story, the accident victim died several hours afterwards.
Mr. Editor, it is my belief that there are many more such cases that have not reached public attention. The silence of the Ministry of Health as well as that of the Medical Association of Jamaica is unbelievably deafening, while the moans, groans, and tears of family members and friends keep on crying out for answers.
Where is our love, caring and concern for
our less fortunate brothers and sisters? Are
we no longer our brother's keeper? Do we
no longer love our neighbours as we ought to love ourselves?
I am, etc.,
A.S. JACKSON
Chapelton P.O.
