Dominicans to benefit from OECS health services agreement with French islands

Dr. Jules cited the exorbitant costs associated with extra-regional travel for medical care as a reason for the agreement

Access to medical facilities in the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe is expected to be made easier for citizens of Dominica and the other eight members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) following the signing of an agreement between the OECS and the General Social Security Fund of Guadeloupe (CGSS).

The three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by OECS Director General, Didacus Jules, and the General Director of the CGSS, Henri Yacou.

The agreement will address the administrative, logistical and financial barriers that OECS Member States face when accessing health services in the French Departments in the Eastern Caribbean. It will also facilitate the exchange of information and capacity building in an effort to support the development of regional approaches to health services and the portability of health benefits backed by adequate health insurance.

Jules cited, as a reason for the agreement, the exorbitant costs associated with extra-regional travel for medical care.

“As a result the Commission has been actively seeking to create linkages with our French neighbours to expand access to specialised healthcare within the region and this agreement with the CGSS in Guadeloupe is a materialisation of these efforts. We look forward to deepening areas of cooperation in the years ahead.”

Yacou said he was pleased to be party to an agreement which seeks to help the vulnerable by affording them easier access to healthcare which might not be available in their homeland.

“I sincerely wish that this project will facilitate the free movement of citizens of the OECS to access health care in the best conditions possible,” he noted.

The CGSS is presently working on a plan for a pilot project with a French health insurance company that will allow for unique identification numbers and a financially and legally secure partnership with hospital establishments of Guadeloupe, Martinique and St Martin.

The OECS groups the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts-Nevis, Anguilla, Montserrat, and the British Virgin Islands.

Martinique became an Associate Member State of the OECS on February 4, 2015.

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11 Comments

  1. PWU
    August 27, 2018

    Stop this crap! DOMINICA NEEDS TO REBUILD ITS OWN HEALTH SYSTEM – Everything gets shipped out or sold to others even healthcare. This is a failed systme and its time for change.

  2. MR DOMINICA
    August 27, 2018

    every now and then we read or hear of people being flown to the French islands for medical treatment in most cases politicians then we hear of doctors graduating from cuba returning to Dominica ,what do they learn in cuba other than to return home to become politicians or in one case government spokesman . Gone are the days when Desmon mackintire William Green DR Watty and others returned and served saving lives Where we had a hospital in Roseau where real emergencies were treated ,there was a hospital at marigot serving the entire north east from calibishie to what was known as the reserve .My question is HOW DID WE GET TO THIS? The answer is LAY BA PAKER TWAVY

  3. Truth Be Told
    August 27, 2018

    What a shame! What a disgrace! What a terrible indictment on our failed independence! Just imaging that we made all this fuss and fought for our independence just to have to run back to the French colonies for health service! We should have remained colonies of Britain! Total failure on the leadership of the OECS and CARICOM more generally! Sad where the lack of leadership has brought the British West Indies after independence!

    • kubulol
      August 28, 2018

      You are right in saying that independance failed :
      it is always the case when a country gains independance: the situation worsen on : health, economy, security, industry, development, political stability, etc ….
      The reason is that those who want independance want it only for political and ideological reasons for themselves ; not for the general interest of the population.

      But you are wrong in saying the french islands are colonies ; they are french departments, with the same advantages than any other french department

  4. Badbaje
    August 27, 2018

    People please read this carefully, you will find out and understand they are working on a plan, wishing it will work out, hoping things will get better.
    They are not implementing anything, they are not making any changes they are “NOT DOING ANYTHING”
    Why are they always planning to plan, but never doing. Stop glossing over their glossy words, and try to dissect and understand them. These people are signing agreements to look into planning these things. This does not help anyone.
    Explain to us how this will help those seeking to travel and move between these islands, please, explain that one.

  5. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    August 26, 2018

    While you speak of some memorandum and people going to Guadeloupe and Martinique for medical treatment; I would like to ask you what is the medical establishment; the the government as a matter of fact doing to improve the medical services in the country. 

    While you talk even the additions which the Chines are adding to the old Princes Marigot Hospital at Goodwill are not able to be completed.

    The Marigot Hospital which Roosevelt Skerrit allowed termites, and rodents such as cockroaches and rats to destroy, what happen to the rebuilding of the Marigot Hospital?

    What has Roosevelt Skerrit the one man Government done with the Millions U.S dollars donated by the government of Mexico to build a new hospital in Marigot? While you talk about going out of the country for medical treatment who will pay for air travel and other expense on those islands.

    When including other islands, you might omit Antigua, if you do not know they are performing organ transplant among other…

  6. Bringback the kidnapped parrots
    August 26, 2018

    Dominica needs a helicopter or a few helicopters for medical evacuation and other emergencies on the island. If there is an emergency there is no time to take someone to the airport, if there is a helicopter they can be flown to Martinique or Guadeloupe immediately without having to wait for a plane. According to source there is millions in the CBI funds to purchase a few helicopters. What is the status of all that money? Is it on Dominica in the treasury, if not why?

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      August 27, 2018

      While it sounds good to talk about helicopters to Air-vac people to Guadeloupe and Martinique, the situation would  remain the same for the poor?

      When you evacuate some by air from Dominica to a hospital anywhere that cost money; some sick people in Dominica never held a job in their entire life; where are they going the money to pay for such services? Have you noticed in all his babbling he made no mention of payments for medical treatment.

      Read between the lines, it is election time so they come like sheep in wolfs clothing, with sweet sounding proposals, vote for their party, so they can keep their job; after election nothing promised are delivered! If there are millions of dollars for evacuating people for treatment.

      Perhaps that money could be used to build properly equip hospitals in the country; and recruit doctors trained in the  United States, Canada, Britain, and Germany to staff the hospitals rather having Cubans and Chines quacks messing up our people performing…

      • MR DOMINICA
        August 27, 2018

        TELEMAQUE
        I DO agree with you about this helicopter thing because during the days of DR reginald Amour and those who followed him the health services in our area from the reserve to Portsmouth was the best with one doctor plus those sent from Britain .I do not know if you remember DR Robinson who had a house at temple right over the woofordhill bridge tall white man I remember as a boy in my early teens coming from a trip from the grinadines on a ship and just as we passed Martinique the captain had an excrutiating ,getting to Portsmouth he was rushed to the hospital and had surgery the same night in those days lives were saved while were under colonialism by the way this is your father’s name sake

      • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
        August 27, 2018

        Indeed I do remember Dr.  Robinson, and old Dr. Armour on Eden Estate originally from Trinidad, married to one of my relatives from Marigot, lived  not too far from your parents house. Medical technology was not as it is theses days but those old doctors they were good, they performed, and save life’s. 

        They performed at their best under the circumstance which they function,  even in the Marigot Hospital they performed some very difficult surgeries. I cannot remember when someone went into a hospital in those days and came out dead because of malpractice.

        People did not die in hospitals like they do now. Even the pharmacists we called dispensers like Savarin, Dominica president Charles Savarin father was stationed at Marigot, he served; sometimes people like him and Canes from St. Kitts,  Angol from Portsmouth were the only people we saw as doctors.

        One time I tried to buy Robinson property  your name sake told me our cousin Ducreay said (he doh selling it to me oui!)…

  7. %
    August 26, 2018

    Mr Felix Gregoire,Sir,you are our OECS ambassador, this is the type of issue I would like you to address on this medium, and not the type of puffery you wrote on statesmanship.I felt sorry for you sir!!! It made you look less than a statesman!
    Will you,Mr Gregoire please take it from there and give us the specifics Mr OECS ambassador ?
    Please do not do like Anon and ask for my bloggs to be totally blocked from DNO.
    SMG
    SMG
    LSMGNow

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