My 2024 Healthcare Wish List for SVG – Part 2

Expand offerings at district clinics

Additional services should be offered at the district clinics across SVG. Such offerings must aim
to:

● Improve patient outcomes.
● Manage patients in real-time.
● Reduce patient’s need to travel to Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) and Modern Medical Diagnostic Centre (MMDC) for further investigations.
● Lessen the chances of results being misplaced.
● Reduce the need for follow-up visits by the patient.
● Improve efficiency at clinics.
● Ease the burden on the MCMH and MMDC laboratories.

The following point-of-care offerings should be considered:

● Picollo machine – In less than 15 minutes, four drops of blood can accurately determine – kidney function, liver function, amylase (pancreas), and lipid levels (including cholesterol).
● Biosite machine – Can test for cardiac enzymes (helps with early detection of heart attacks), D-dimer (determines if a significant blood clot is present), BNP (detects heart failure).
● HbA1c machine – Determines average blood sugar for the previous 3 months.
● Hand-held haemoglobin machine – Tracks effectiveness of anaemia treatment.
● Pt/ INR machine – to follow patients who are on blood thinner warfarin.

Suggestions for funding the purchase of these machines and their reusables:

● The patient charged the fee currently charged for the same tests at MCMH/ MMDC.
● Reconditioned Picollo and Biosite machines procured that are in excellent working order.
● Overseas associations associated with each clinic’s respective district asked to help raise funds for such.
● Reach out to local, regional, and international charities, service clubs, and our visitors to SVG via Inns & Outs, DiscoverSVG website, collection boxes at hotels, cruise terminal, our airports, megayacht agents, etc.
Government provides the space, security, and training for such machines. The above machines will occupy less than 12 sq ft.

Ban smoking in public spaces

Second hand smoke according to the Oxford Dictionary, is “smoke inhaled involuntarily from tobacco being smoked by others.“
Second hand smoke releases many harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. There is no safe level of second hand smoke.
Inhaling tobacco smoke negatively impacts every organ in the body. Tobacco smoke remains the number one cause of preventable illnesses and deaths worldwide.
The WHO reports that breathing in someone else’s tobacco smoke resulted in 1.3 million deaths worldwide in 2021.

Second hand smoke causes:

● A range of adult cancers
● Heart attacks
● Strokes
● Pneumonias
● Asthma attacks, ear infections, and brain tumours in children
● Reduced fertility
● Low birthweight babies
● Rheumatoid arthritis

To protect the public and workers from the impact of second hand smoke, we must pass, implement, and enforce smoke-free laws regarding public spaces.
The wheel does not have to be reinvented, for government can review the Barbados, Trinidad &
Tobago, and/or Jamaican statutes regarding the outlawing of smoking in public spaces and tweak where necessary.

Junk Food Tax on fast foods and processed foods

The government of Columbia enacted the “Junk Food Law” in November 2023. This law introduced an additional tax of 10% on unhealthy foods with immediate effect; increasing to 15% in 2024, and settling at 20% in 2025.
The tax targets foods low in nutritional value, with preservatives and artificial colouring, and high in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats.

The tax aims to reduce the high incidence of NCDs in society. For example:

● Diabetes
● Hypertension
● Stroke
● Heart disease
● A range of cancers
● Dementia
● Mental illness

Revenues from such a tax can be used to:

● Raise awareness in the population regarding the impact of diet on health.
● Subsidize the cost (e.g. via vouchers) of healthy alternatives such as fruits, vegetables, beans/ lentils, nuts, fish, etc.
● Help cover the operational costs of the government’s hospitals and clinics.
● Enhance and develop our most impoverished and underdeveloped communities.

The WHO describes such a tax as a “win-win” for a country, for it:

● Reduces the country’s NCD burden
● Saves lives
● Augments government’s revenue.

Government playing an active role in reigning in the impact of global warming

2023 was a record year for exceptionally high temperatures.

Climatologists predict that 2024 and proximate years will break the high-temperature records of 2023. While there is nothing that our government can do in the short term to stymie these temperature records, however, government can mitigate the impact of these high temperatures on Vincentians.

High temperatures increase one’s chances of:

● Heart attacks
● Strokes
● Mental illness
● Committing violent acts and murder
● Suicide

The government needs to legislate heat-mitigating building codes regarding all new buildings:

● Installment of ceilings
● Placement of small air holes above ceilings to allow hot air to escape
● Strategic orientation and placement of buildings, doors, and windows to allow maximum ventilation
● Other

Remove import duties from:

● Alternative-energy powered AC units.
● Reflective rooftop paints (white and green).
● Awnings.

Paint rooftops of government schools with sun-reflective paint. This reduces the rooftop temperature by 50° F (28° C) on average, translating into a much less hostile classroom environment for students and teachers.

Author: Dr. C. Malcolm Grant – Family Physician, Family Care Clinic, Arnos Vale.
Former tutor in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados.
For appointments: clinic@familycaresvg.com, 1(784)570-9300 (Office),
1(784)455-0376 (WhatsApp)
Disclaimer: The information provided in the above article is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you are seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment.
Dr. C. Malcolm Grant, Family Care Clinic or The Searchlight Newspaper or their associates, respectively, are not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information provided above.