Doctor’s suspension national disgrace

THE EDITOR: The decision by the South-West Regional Health Authority to suspend Dr Joel Teelucksingh for writing “The emperor’s new hospital” is an outrageous and dangerous response to truth-telling. It is a cowardly act that punishes integrity, mocks free expression, and sends a clear signal: professionals must stay silent, even as the system fails the people it is meant to serve.

Teelucksingh is no junior doctor. He is a consultant in internal medicine, a lecturer, a published researcher, and a respected figure in local and international medical circles. He has nothing to gain from challenging authority – except to defend the public interest.

His decision to publish that satirical column, knowing full well the risk, speaks to uncommon courage and deep civic responsibility. He put his reputation on the line to speak up for patients, staff, and the healthcare system itself.

Let us be clear, the column was not personal, not defamatory, and not political in the partisan sense. It was a fable – clever, biting, and unfortunately accurate. Every doctor, nurse, technician and patient in TT knows the situation he described:

* New hospital wings commissioned with no staff.

* Buildings opened with fanfare, yet no functioning equipment inside.

* Overcrowded wards, long waiting lists, exhausted professionals, and patients dying while waiting for care.

Is this fiction, or is this our everyday reality?

So I ask:

* The medical professionals of this country: Did Teelucksingh lie? Or did he simply say what all of you already know?

* The Medical Association of TT: Will you remain silent while one of your most respected members is punished for exposing systemic failure? Or will you defend his right to speak truth on behalf of those who suffer in silence?

This is not about one column or one doctor. This is about whether our institutions can tolerate scrutiny. Whether professionals are allowed to speak freely about public failures without fear of reprisal. Whether we are still a society where principle means more than public relations.

Teelucksingh’s satire did not attack individuals. It confronted a culture of empty ceremony and hollow announcements. It challenged a system that prioritises ribbon-cutting over readiness, speeches over service, image over substance.

In a time when so many choose convenience over conscience, Teelucksingh stood alone and spoke clearly. That is the definition of patriotism. That is what it means to serve – not just the health sector, but the nation.

He is a true citizen of TT – not because of his medical credentials, but because he refused to pretend that everything is fine when the truth is otherwise. We do not need fewer voices like his. We need more.

In doing so, he reminded us of what it means to be a citizen – not a servant of power, but a defender of the public good. He has earned not suspension, but the gratitude of a nation still waiting for a hospital that actually heals.

RUSHTON PARAY

Mayaro MP