Nickolas Steele (MP), Health Minister for Carriacou, Grenada & Petite Martinique
Re: Patient transportation
Dear Sir,
I wish to voice my distress and my distaste following the viewing of a video currently circulating by WhatsApp, showing a male patient lying on the hard and uncomfortable floor very exposed and thus exhibited to all available eyes to see during his journey from Carriacou hospital to Grenada.
I am appalled that Osprey Lines Ltd still continues to treat patients as though they are animals with little regard for their vulnerability, dignity and self respect. It has also been said that the Grenada health officials agreed that that was the acceptable method of transporting patients from Carriacou and Petite Martinique hospital to mainland Grenada General Hospital because the journey is very turbulent during its passage through Kick ’em Jenny.
If this is the case, then the time has come to remove such individual or individuals who propose to sanction such action and are incapable of putting the wellbeing of patients first. We shall not, nor will not accept such dismissive, lackadaisical and unethical response from uncaring people who believe in 2020 that we should continue to accept and even promote as normal, such poor and backward thinking services for its people.
Slavery was once the norm, and there were better reasons for keeping slavery because huge profits were to be made, but slavery was abolished as it was recognised the human rights outweighed the rights of individuals to profit at the expense of other human beings.
Just because we are a small nation does not mean that all our needs as human beings are less valid, that it cannot be ACKNOWLEDGED and RESPECTED and we should accept the powers that be to treat its citizens as non-entity and to have the audacity to justify the gross and dehumanising treatment of its citizens is quite disgraceful.
Most people who have experienced “The Osprey Lines Ltd” services would agree that the experience is far from comfortable, satisfying or enjoyable. Often one is left feeling very dizzy from seasickness, dehydrated from vomiting, afraid to get to the toilets from lack of support etc. These problems are experienced by presumably healthy passengers.
Therefore, “The Osprey Lines Ltd” should no longer be considered an appropriate means of transport to carry very ill patients; if anything, the dangers are possibly a higher risk of deteriorating condition or even death from the effects of its use, from problems already been highlighted above. (The death of a young woman 2 years ago on the Osprey springs to mind).
We can neither improve nor progress from where we are if we have health officials taking the approach that nothing could be done to improve our condition of travel.
Why has the government continued to employ Osprey Lines Ltd to transport patients under such draconian methods? Of course, it can do better by using the other available ferry, Dolly C, which has a cordoned-off section offering privacy with a bed especially for patients.
What reason could there be for such poor judgment where there is a stark contrast in the care provided when the choice to choose on behalf of the patient, one or the other of these ferry boats.
Really, it is time with the limited resources available that ‘patients’ care’ and not the ‘means of transport’ are placed at the centre of the decision-making process.
Thank you.
Respectfully yours,
M L Crosdale (Mrs)
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I agree with Cecil. You cannot blame the Public Transport for the care of the sick. There should be a system in place to handle the transport of patients between the islands. SOLUTION:There should be a emergency “SPECIAL TRANSPORT MEDIC TEAM” comprised of technical and medical staff with the equipment to transport a patient on a sea vessel. The patient will be accompanied by a trained medic or two on the vessel with the proper stable bed or chair which can be locked down on the vessel to protect the patient. I see this working by treating every patient needing special care as a sea rescue-although it is originated in land. In other words the team should be a branch of the main hospital system and should be located close to the ports of call. This SPECIAL team should have communication with an ambulance team in the Island of destination (GRENADA) to roadtrip the patient to the General Hospital. In conclusion we need something like what we have on land. On land we have Ambulance with trained Medics with -equipments that match the environment of a motor vehicle-to safely transport patients to Hospitals. On sea we also need trained medics with appropriate -equipment that match the environment of a sea vessel- hence the reason why I said we need a Sea RescueTeam we can call on to take a patient accross rhe sea. Hopefully the Hospital system will see the transport of critically ill patients as part of their function and responsibility.
The main concern for me is to save the patients life and I pray that the patient is now well on the way to recovery.
No one knows the facts behind why the patient was being transported in this way so let us not throw stones.
If it was me I would be grateful I was getting transported as quickly as possible to get medical help to save my life and not in the way I was being transported.
Sometimes depending on the circumstances luxury is not always possible.
Why is Osprey getting blamed for this?? What if Osprey had declared that it was unable to take the patient as it was not fitted for such. would you rather that the patient was refused the transportation altogether?
I understand and empathize with your disgust and annoyance and I to feel that the patient should not have been subjected to this indignity, however I believe you are aiming at the wrong target. In my opinion the hospital should at minimum, just based on common sense, compassion and respect for its patient, have understood the need to provide a gurney and some privacy drapes or screens around the patient.
In my view these are the trickle-down effects when a society’s standards continually slip and mediocrity becomes the norm. Osprey is doing its best and ought not, in my view, to be the target of the hospital system’s ineptitude and insensitivity as it relates to that video.
Not sure an patient would appreciate riding on a 35′ coastguard boat from Carriacou, unless the coastguard here has a larger cutter type boat, I am not aware of ?? Also as stated before, the Dolly C takes 3 times as long to do the journey and is a bit of a rust bucket. The Osprey is a perfectly good boat, it cant help the sea conditions. Not sure if it may have a private crew area that could have been used for this patient??
You all love a lot of drama ! Too spicy for me! Always blaming someone!!!
The Dolly C takes four hours. The Osprey takes 1 1/2 hours. This matter should have been better handled by the Hospital and use the Grenada Coast Guard fitted with a bed, at the cost of the patient or Government . Do not blame the Osprey. That scene was horrible and unexcusable. Instead of the Grenada govt. going after people’s liberties, look after the Health sector.