Back over to you, Sir James!

EDITOR: The tropical depression which bore down on our tiny multi-island state just over a week ago has wreaked havoc nationwide; two lives were lost in Bequia, coupled with widespread damage to private and commercial properties and enterprises and infrastructure.

Devastating as it was, what is most frightening is the flooding and damage to the equipment at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH). This has become the norm in these conditions.{{more}}

The week just past has been true to form. All of this after the previous Mitchell N.D.P government did extensive modernization a few years ago.

The MCMH is located at the lower end of an incline on the Road to Leeward Highway. Prior to the modernization there existed, from day one a canal about four feet wide and about the same in depth. There was also access by vehicle and foot from at least three points, Road to Leeward both ways and also Victoria Park.

The accesses to and from Road-To-Leeward were eliminated by solid concrete construction which reached the Victoria Park road, also most of the canal is covered.

Our nation has been given a zero option in and out of our only hospital – via Victoria Park. Take-it-or-leave-it.

As the waters take their normal course the ground floors are flooded. What we are now looking at is ‘Disaster Preparedness’ with Doctors and Nurses at-the-ready, patients with expectations, a hospital submerged in water and Electrical Equipment that should not be touched.

This could not have happened at a more appropriate time, with General Elections less than two weeks away. The founder of the government under whose administration it all happened is not able to accept that his days have long been on the sear-and-yellow-leaves. He now prays for a utopian re-birth.

George Headley, our greatest batsman, would take the best bowler out of the attack by powerfully hitting the ball back to his chest. “BACK TO YOU! SA James, sir.”

S.M Quammie