This is the second time in recent memory that the authorities refused to attend to foreigners at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC). A couple of months ago, a man was allegedly refused medical attention because he was from another country. They reportedly told him that he would have to pay before he could be attended to.
Is this the hospital policy In Trinidad? Mind you, it is not a private hospital I am talking about. I could not believe the health system would have treated a person like that because they were from another country, and would you believe that this man was from Grenada!
And now they did it again with another person–from Guyana this time–and it was fatal.
Come on somebody, this should not be happening in our country. Many of us go to the US for vacation and I am sure sometimes we get ill. I wonder how we will feel if we go to Kings County hospital or any other institution and they refuse us medical attention. I wonder what will we say.
One thing for sure is if you get sick in America and you are from Trinidad or any other country and you go to the hospital they cannot refuse to attend to you. I know this because I became ill and I went to Beth Israel hospital and I was treated with respect and dignity. They did not turn me away or give me any attitude because I was a foreigner, or should I say, tourist. They gave to me the best treatment that I deserved.
This man should not have died as a result of refusal of medical attention. This is ludicrous. If that is the policy in our hospitals in Trinidad it needs to be changed immediately. The policy in American hospitals is that they cannot refuse to attend to any foreigner or tourist that is ill, whether they have money yes or no. All the hospitals have signs saying that they cannot refuse to attend to a foreigner. Why can't we follow that said principle and then bill the patient?
I hope that the Minister of Health will get involved in this incident and have a thorough investigation into this matter, and make sure that this foolishness does not happen again. These people are our neighbours and we suppose to love our neighbours as we love ourselves.
Modicia Martin
via e-mail