Heather Robinson
WHAT DO we in Jamaica define as the 'BIG C?' Is it the pain and suffering families endure from various forms of cancer? Or is it the death and destruction caused by crime? Or is the disappointment many Jamaicans feel about the response of a church to the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl? Whether it is cancer, crime or the church, there is no doubt that all are in need of management.
Cancer patients will all agree that the most successfully treated cases are those that are diagnosed early. Early detection is encouraged by doctors and the Jamaica Cancer Society. Mammograms, pap smears and the prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests are used as the most common methods to detect cancer. Of course women are advised to do monthly breast examinations. However, some of us have to live with the fact that the risk of being diagnosed with cancer is much higher than the normal person because of our family history.
TREATMENTS
Chemotherapy and radio-therapy are the two most expensive and commonly used treatments for cancer. And if the disease has metastasized (spread) or poses a risk to other parts of the body, the solution used is surgery. But even after the surgery has been done, and chemotherapy or radiotherapy administered, patients still have to be monitored by their doctors and regular check-ups done. Those who survive best are those who listen and practise what their doctors tell them.
Crime remains Jamaica's number one concern. And when we talk about crime in Jamaica, our biggest concern is murder. The murder rate is going down significantly, but if you are the relative of a victim who was murdered recently in Montego Bay, that fact offers little consolation.
Cancer treatment and crime management have much in common. Both can benefit from early detection, and if both reach to maturity, the treatment has to be definitive. The old adage says prevention is better than cure. In the case of cancer and crime, prevention is not only better, it is significantly cheaper than the cure or solution. And since there is no doctor who can promise his patient a complete cure, so too there is no politician or police commissioner who can promise an end to criminal activity. Cancer patients will tell you that it can cost $200,000 per month for chemotherapy while radio-therapy can cost just under $1,000,000 dollars.
Much has been said about the need for social and economic interventions in crime-plagued inner-city communities. Govern-ment has implemented many programmes, and so have many non-governmental organisations. Some argue that if many decades ago, money had been spent on 'early detection' programmes, crime would not have metastasized into the monster that we now have. Women who have had to do mammograms on their breasts can tell how painful this process is. But it lasts about five minutes and its benefits are manifold, and can prevent the surgical removal of one's breast(s). Which would you prefer?
MAJOR ROLE
There is no doubt that the majority of Jamaicans believe that God and the Church play a major role in our lives. Many revere their minister and see him or her as God's expression of goodness here on earth. Some types of behaviour we do not expect from the leadership of the church, and we definitely do not expect church leaders to refuse to report a criminal act to the police.
One of the things that I have certainly been wondering about in the last week is this: Have there been other instances that have gone unreported, and if so how many criminals are safely sheltering in the protection of a misguided congregation?
Every Jamaican has a role to play in the management of the 'Big C.' Make sure you play yours.
Heather Robinson is a life underwriter and former Member of Parliament.
