The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I beg space in your paper to express a few thoughts on the proposed National Health Bill.

Presently, we have a very serious problem for sick persons to be able to obtain a bed in PMH on any given day or week.

When I have visited PMH over the past couple of years, I have been very touched emotionally to see patients laying on roll-around beds in emergency and to be told that they have been there for two or three days and are waiting for someone to find space for them on one of the wards.

If we do not have enough rooms and beds for the sick today, I would think that any government that cares for the people would make plans to build another major hospital somewhere in the southern part of New Providence to be able to take care of those indigent Bahamians that the Prime Minister says he cares so much about.

Mr Prime Minister, we the Bahamian people cannot afford to pay the cost of living today, just think what it will do to us if we are taxed to raise another $600,000,000 per year to fund an insurance plan that will not work any better than what is working now.

My friends from Canada tell me that, yes, they have free medical, but if you need medical attention and cannot wait your turn they have to cross the border into the US and pay for their own treatment. This will not help the poor and needy of our Bahamas.

Prime Minister, I read your speech to doctors and politicians, my concern is I cannot remember the last time I heard about a doctor or politician that went to the PMH Out Patients Department to get treated, so you do not know what it is like for others who have no choice.

Are we now going to become like Cuba where the doctors are told how much a day they will be paid and if so who will enforce this rule because I would not want a doctor working on me if he is being forced to do this because I would only be a number and there would be no real concern as to whether I recover or not.

I do not know if you realise that the actions of our politicians tell the public that they have little faith in PMH because if it is not good enough for them then how does it become good enough for us simply because we do not have taxpayers to pay for our health costs.

Sir, I beg you to think long and hard what any additional taxes will do to the economic situation in The Bahamas and if you do, I know that your conscience will not let you implement any plan that will take away the little that we now have to live from day to day.

A VERY CONCERNED BAHAMIAN

Nassau,

March, 2015.