The Editor, Sir:

Triage, as practised in times of war or disaster, is where medical staff, or medicines, etc. are inadequate, and so there is assignment of degrees of urgency to decide the order of treatment of wounds. There are three common classifications used:

Those injured who can survive for some time without immediate treatment or may survive without treatment. These are set aside for later treatment when, or if, staff, etc. become available.

Those who require immediate treatment and are reasonably sure to survive, if so treated. These are treated immediately.

Those who have poor or no chances of survival, even with intensive treatment. The treatment of these may be deemed to be an inefficient use of available staff, medicines, etc. So as to ensure that the maximum number of injured survive, these may not be treated.

Are Jamaican hospitals and government institutions being forced to practise a form of wartime triage by intentionally starving them of such resources, as they need to operate properly? The medical services would have to literally practise battlefield triage.

In our government institutions, such as those that repair our roads and other transport systems, operate our water and waste water systems, etc., we can definitely see a form of triage in operation. Minor roads receive little or no funding for repairs.

The gradual, visible degradation of much of our physical and social infrastructure, and apparent accompanying practice of triage, are the result of the blatant waste of funds in corruption, extravagant mega-projects that provide short-term political gratification, while destroying the environment and, our long-term prospects for survival, and even prosperity.

I am, etc.,

HOWARD CHIN

hmc14@cwjamaica.com