10/11/2006 11:11:00 AM Letter to the editor Who says we need a new hospital?
Dear Sir,
I was not in Bermuda to follow the sequence of events nor much of the discussion around plans to build a hospital in the Botanical Gardens so I may be repeating what has already been said and asking questions already answered.
I feel pretty confident that the hospital will not be built at the Botanical Gardens.
Why? Because we (the public) are not going to allow it. We heard about this idea about a year or so ago and perhaps others thought as I did that it was too preposterous an idea to take seriously. I am so glad that our ire has been stirred sufficiently to demonstrate they we Bermudians do value this resource.
The question that came to mind when the idea was first floated was, just as columnist Larry Burchall has now asked, "do we really need it"?
His point about our flat population growth not being an indicator is well taken.
My question is: Are we doing this to keep up with the state of the art hospitals or are we doing it out of a real need?
What exactly are those needs and who has defined the needs?
To my mind if we have millions of dollars to spend on a new hospital (no matter where the location) could we not spend the major part of it on preventive medicine?
If we are projecting for more facilities to treat more illness should we not put our sincere and courageous efforts into prevention?
( I say "sincere and courageous" because that is what is required).
I have noticed that a few medical insurance companies are making attempts to educate their clients about preventive health care.
This is good but they need to go further and not only support, but also make adjustments in their policies for preventive options.
But not to put blame on others we have abdicated our responsibility for our own health and left it to the medical profession and the insurance companies we believe we are locked into. But this is another discussion.
On a historical note, the current hospital sits on land that was once prime arable land and a part of the Botanical Gardens.
It was an important resource for agriculture. Sadly, a highly productive fruit orchard was destroyed to accommodate the hospital.
The irony of the idea of building a hospital for the sake of health and healing is that in doing so we destroy one of our best resources for well-being. How smart is that?
But how vulnerable has the Botanical Gardens allowed itself to become?
Has it been truly serving its function?
That is a question too that those in positions of responsibility may now be motivated to address. There are lessons here for all of us.
