Dear Nesta,
How life treatin’ yuh, muh girl? Las’ week, we had some sad news when a young lady dat went missin’ fuh few days, finally turn up dead in one o’ de country cart roads. I onderstan’ she was a nice, frien’ly person, an’ to be cut down at sech a early stage in life is mos’ tragic. My sympat’y go out to she frien’s an’ fambly!
Now, I know yuh mussee hear dis story so of’en dat ef yuh suck yuh teet, I won’ vex wid yuh, but I gine tell yuh anyway! Few weeks ago, risin’ like de phoenix from de ashes, was news dat a new horsepittle ’pon de cards – agen! I remember Mr Brumley tellin’ we at school ’bout de phoenix! It was a bird dat set itself ’pon fire, an’ sence den, been risin’ up outta de ashes good as new, an’ startin’ agen, like neffin din happen, ovuh an’ ovuh! Hearin’ ’’bout dis new horsepittle agen remin’ muh o’ dat story, ’cause summuch “long talk” been risin’ up an’ fadin’ ‘way ovuh an’ ovuh, dat I cyahn even remember when I firs’ hear ’bout it. I t’ink it start up durin’ de las’ guvment time, an’ sence de changeovuh in 2008, been “risin’ an’ fallin’” as de mood hit whichevuh politician was dealin’ wid it!
I cyahn tell yuh tummuch ’bout it, excep’ dat “it would be one of the highest physical development projects to be undertaken in Barbados in the last couple of decades”! Wuhloss! Dah gine be some horsepittle, doh! I hope I live long enuff to see it! It suppose to cos’ mo’ dan $8 million when it done, but we still guessin’ ’bout location an’ start-up time. Dat secret is not fuh we ears as yet! Mebbee nex’ year, it gine come tumblin’ outta de “cookie jar” wid any ethuh goodies (Cost U Less, mebbee?) dat should be in store fuh we!
But befo’ all dah happen, aut’orities at de present horsepittle decide enuff is enuff, an’ all dem “private ward” patients sufferin’ from amnesia, dat “fuhget” to settle up duh bills after goin’ home, gine get a visit from de debt collector! De t’ree-monf grace period to eithuh settle de whole bill or set up a payment plan, en seem to jog duh mem’ry, so duh now got to face de consequences!
Now, de horsepittle got two types o’ accommodation, private an’ public! Ef you know dat after payin’ de necessary down-payment fuh a private ward, yuh en got “cent one” lef’ to yuh name after yuh come out, it en no disgrace to choose de public ward. Anyway, all dah done, ‘cause in future, befo’ yuh could set foot in a private ward, yuh now mus’ fork out payment to cover six days stay ’stead o’ de usual $1 500! “Hones’” Peter now gine pay fuh “Dishones” Paul!
But when I talk to my frien’ Philomena, I realize de patient en always at fault! She was in horsepittle year befo’ las’ an’ aldoh she ask fuh de bill jes’ befo’ she went home, it din ready! In fack, de clerk axe wuh de rush was ’bout, she would get it later. Dah “later” turn out to be six monfs down de road! Now, who should get blame fuh late payment? I hope all dese new “moves” to get t’ings up-to-date include de office dealin’ wid patients accounks!
I hear “prevention better dan cure”, so I hey mekkin’ evry effort to keep out o’ sickness paff! Wid help from de good Lord, I hope not to need de private nor public ward in dis present horsepittle nor in de future “state o’ de art” one, any time soon!
Tek care o’ yuhself
Yuh frien’ Babsie
