We trust Google more than doctors. And it is costing us. We are living in the most medically advanced time in human history. Unfortunately, trust in medicine has never felt more fragile. It has worsened since Covid. We can map the human genome. We can replace failing organs. We can …
Read More »Dr Harris: Valuing workers is only way to avoid brain drain and retain T&T’s best assets
“[…] In his 1971 book The Mechanics of Independence, ANR Robinson wrote that: ‘As financial rewards are lower in the less developed country, the decisive factor of keeping its skilled people from emigrating are likely to be career opportunity and job satisfaction.’ “Simply put, if we do not value our …
Read More »Dr Teelucksingh: Revisiting The Emperor’s New Hospital—why accountability matters
At six o’clock one morning not too long ago, a woman sat quietly outside a public clinic with a numbered card in her hand. She had arrived before sunrise. Not because she wanted to—because she had to. Her eyes were failing for months. The headaches were becoming more frequent. Work …
Read More »Dear Editor: Health care is not a privilege—it is a right
“[…] Ordinary citizens know the challenges all too well: waiting lines that stretch for hours before a doctor can be seen; appointments pushed months into the future; shortages of essential medicines, forcing families to search from pharmacy to pharmacy at unaffordable prices. “Equipment is outdated or broken, leaving patients without …
Read More »Dear Editor: My issue with our health facilities—where Arima gets high and low marks
My experience at the Arima hospital today was mixed. It was mostly sweet, mind you. Everyone who I came into contact with—from security to medical staff—was polite and professional, while the facility itself was clean and orderly. The wait for a simple procedure was long, though. For a synopsis of …
Read More »Josie vs Cancer: During my tough chemo treatment, I almost fainted in the kitchen…
Chapter 7: I had some dark days… Imagine moving from a place of ‘normal’ to being told you have breast cancer and having to process that. Now, imagine being told that the lump can be removed, but not before an MRI is done to get a better image. Next, imagine …
Read More »Josie vs Cancer: I kept sobbing and asking, ‘why me, why us’?
Chapter 6: I got really angry… In many marriages, there is balance in terms of personalities. One party can go from 0 to 100 really quickly, and the other is often the voice of reason and calmness. Prior to May 16, 2024, I was the former in my marriage, while …
Read More »Josie vs Cancer: A tiny, weird, identifiable lump; number 16; and the bad news room…
Chapter 1: Tiny Weird Identifiable Lump (TWIL)… TWIL showed up in April—or rather, I found TWIL in April. It is strange because self-exams were not a routine for me, even though I knew the importance. I always had dense tissue and would get an annual ultrasound just to make sure …
Read More »Vaneisa: You never know—‘Rambo’ suffers an unexpected medical emergency
“When you wake up in the morning, you never know what the day will bring,” she said. This came from a friend I have not seen in ages, and whom I had not noticed seated in the corridor full of people waiting for service at the Accident and Emergency Department …
Read More »“This must be something that you love to do…” Day in the life of a nurse
“[…] Sometimes I drive to work, sometimes I travel. I have to always keep praying because, honestly, not every day I would feel like going. I have to keep talking to myself and say: ‘This is not for you; this is for the patients. They need help and you have …
Read More »Vaneisa: The waiting game—the anxious mental strain of public sector visits
Not long ago, a couple of letters to the editor appeared where the writers complained about extremely long waits at public health institutions. I had immediately thought that this is why I walk with a book whenever I have to go to any institution, public or private. But then I …
Read More »Noble: Dr Picou’s galling treatment and auditor general impasse reveals T&T’s darkening mood
“It is hardly possible to build anything if frustration, bitterness, and a mood of helplessness prevail.” Lech Walesa, 1983 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. As a country, we are becoming more shameless. The scant regard that the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) staff displayed to Dr David Picou is galling. …
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