ONLY HUMAN – Hospital talk short on details

THE UNOFFICIAL START of the 2013 general election campaign was launched last week by the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP), followed by the opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) on Sunday.
When one connects the dots – the events, statements and political posturing – it seems this was the intent of both political parties.
The first dot was the announcement last Thursday by Minister of Health Donville Inniss of plans for a new $800 million general hospital.
The next day we got an outline of definitive plans to tackle water shortages in the east of the island to ensure adequate supply for the growing population and tourism projects there and, most important, kick-start the private sector house building initiatives that were stalled because of insufficient water.
The last dot by the Dems was the unscheduled Press conference on Sunday afternoon by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler to deal with the economy. This was initially slated for Friday morning after he updated the social partners on the economy at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Clearly, this switch was made to allow him to blunt anything Opposition Leader Owen Arthur would say that morning on the economy in his scheduled address to the BLP’s 73rd annual conference. And, to a large extent, he succeeded as he did provide newsworthy material.
After succeeding twice with this strategy, the Dems, we suspect, will make it a major means of defusing any Bees’ bombshells.
As for the BLP, Arthur’s speech, in which he outlined specific proposals to reduce the cost of living, sent a clear signal that his party is prepared not only to confront the Government but to speak directly to the public and offer alternatives. This is clearly the stance of a party that seriously views itself as a government in waiting. 
I will return to this topic at a later date, but here I must comment on the new hospital.
Clearly the news on the new hospital was meant to capture the imagination of everybody and create a buzz, and it did. But it was woefully short of basic details that one would reasonably expect concerning such a matter. 
For instance, where it will be constructed, the square footage, how many floors, the overall size of the site, and whether there will be high-rise parking.
We would also have been expecting details on the estimated start and conclusion of construction, precisely who will fund it, whether any special incentives are being offered or contemplated, such as designating it a duty-free zone so that all materials and equipment could be procured at the lowest possible price.
Also: will this hospital cater to locals only or will it seek to be the premier tertiary level medical facility in the English-speaking Caribbean by featuring the latest state-of-the-art equipment with adequately trained doctors, nurses and technical support staff to cater to a regional and international clientele?
If you’re going to spend so much money on a new hospital, after initially saying that building one was not necessary, it stands to reason that there would be clear vision of precisely what is being sought, how it can be achieved, and the long-term benefits of such a grand initiative for the country.   
I am not nit-picking as some are sure to suggest. The opportunity was ripe for the articulation of a distinct way forward for health care in Barbados. This did not happen. The whole thing seemed premature. I can’t help but feel there was another agenda being pursued.
The prospect of a new hospital presents us with an opportunity to get things right in health care, based on some of the successful models that exist globally, as well as on our experience.
I had the good fortune of visiting Medellin and Bogota in Colombia a month ago for familiarization with their medical tourism thrusts. There, the government, business sector, doctors and administrators across various ministries got together to create a successful team approach to the delivery of high-quality medical services in conjunction with the supporting ancillary facilities such as hotel, transport and related amenities. And it is working. Patients are pouring in from across Latin America and especially from the Dutch and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands.
Barbados was once a leader in the provision of health care in the region. Both parties therefore need to stop politicizing the health care issue and focus on what needs to be done to achieve this.