PM laments dialysis patients’ predicament

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday described as “a painful development,” St Clair Medical Centre Medcorp Ltd’s decision, last week, to stop dialysis patients from accessing its services because of the Government’s failure to pay outstanding money to the institution.

“I am sure that whatever money the Government owes them, the Government will pay it and I am also sure that none of them in that place is down to their last dollar or living hand to mouth and to turn away people whose lives are at risk, I think that was a very painful development,” he told reporters while hosting a childrens’ Christmas Party at the South Diego Martin Recreation Ground.

Rowley assured that Government would do all in its power to prevent such occurences in the future.

“If that is what the private health sector service can offer, it only says to us that we have to do more in the public sector.”

On Tuesday, government-subsidised dialysis patients were informed in a letter that Friday would have been the last day for them to access treatment at the facility.

St Clair Medical Centre said Government had not paid money to the facility for the past nine months.

In the Parliament on Friday, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh insisted no parent would go without dialysis and that the debt would be paid.

The prime minister said he was disappointed with the response of St Clair Medical Centre to patients who require the life-saving treatment.

“I must say that as a person who was raised in this country on taxpayer input, I was very disappointed at what hppened at St Clair Nursing Home, where persons whose lives depend on dialysis go to a place and be turned away,” he said.

“This is a place like many others where the Government spends millions of dollars on contracting services and I am sure that if you examine it, you will find that many of those persons in there would have got their skill and their profession from public support, whether it is primary school, secondary school , university or otherwise.

“I want to know where their conscience went, whether, in fact, anytime when they see people suffering like that and needing their input, whether they think for a moment that they are in that position because of what those same people were able to contribute to their upbringing.”