THE EDITOR, Sir:
I WRITE to express my dismay to see you end yesterday's (Monday's) editorial -- having referred to doctors and nurses and inferring the range of professionals in the health field, "But the sector cannot meet the needs of current realities. If it continues to bleed away its essential resources; our medical personnel." (The emphasis of 'medical' is mine).
The article was splendid and underscored a crisis which has to be resolved by both short-term and long-term measures taken together. I think 'however' that you lost the thrust of the article by referring to the persons in the health sector [I am not one by the way] as medical.
In today's world there has been an increased realisation that the professionals in the health sector are professionals with differing expertise which dovetail for a harmonious whole - each having leadership of the team depending on the necessity of the required expertise.
WHO IS A MEDICAL DOCTOR?
A medical doctor is not normally a nutritionist, nor is a nutritionist a physiotherapist, nor a physiotherapist a registered nurse.
The health sector 'today', unlike the historic 'yesterday', recognises and thrives on the health team - a partnership of professionals dedicated to the same aim, the health of you and I.
The referred passage in yesterday's editorial should therefore have read, "But the sector cannot meet the needs of current realities, if it continues to bleed away its essential resources; our health personnel."
You may, however, be forgiven this lapse as our University of the West Indies continues the archaic practice of dealing with the range of health issues and professionals under the banner of 'Medical'
I am, etc.,
ERROL St. A. HEWITT
ehewitt@cwjamaica.com
