Symptoms of adeeper disease

The reports of private labs capitalising on the covid19 crisis, raise questions over State regulation of these labs, particularly during critical moments; the level of funding of the regional public health body; as well as advertising standards in an era of fake news and manipulation by a range of actors.

Responding to reports that some private labs have been offering covid19 testing in exchange for a premium price, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh stated the only testing for covid19 should be done at the Caribbean Public Health Authority (CARPHA). There are many good reasons for this.

It’s essential for the testing to be centralised to keep track of the disease accurately. Also, CARPHA will be able to apply consistent standards, in line with international practices, inclusive of the most advanced testing kits. In the initial phases of the covid19 outbreak, there were problems in the US, where even that country’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) reportedly issued botched kits.

In other words, having one centralised testing centre will prevent too many cooks from being in the kitchen. As hard as it may be to accept, it should come as little surprise that some would seek to profit from a situation that grows more alarming by the day.

Approximately 60 million people in Italy have been placed under a government-ordered lockdown in an effort to stem this disease—an extraordinary measure. That came after US and UK stock markets suffered Monday their worst daily slump since the 2008 financial crisis.

But private labs, which fall under local and international standards, such as those established by the World Health Organisation (WHO), should apply more restraint given their crucial role. Whether these labs have their own test kits or are simply charging customers for referring samples to the regionally-funded CARPHA mechanism – it’s not right for the waters to be muddied at this critical juncture when misinformation and confusion can come with a heavy price.

It’s worth noting that CARPHA was set up in 2011 to rationalise five regional entities in order to strengthen the region’s response to public health emergencies and challenges. The whole point of the system is defeated if the entity’s reach is frustrated and made less efficient by money-grubbing middlemen.

Advertising standards, as they relate to private medical institutions, may well be the deeper issue here. Equally, the tension that has emerged between profiteering and providing appropriate care and coverage, as embodied by the activities of these private labs, simply reflects the deeper structural inadequacies within the overall healthcare system.

What else are we to expect when the system has two often contradictory faces: the free system of hospitals and health centres at which demand daily outstrips supply; and the parallel system of private practice which sees doctors who work for regional health authorities moonlighting privately? Profiteering labs are a symptom of a deeper disease.