He got there at 4:00 am – First in line. My patient Fitzroy said he was one of the first to have surgery: excision of a large growing flesh on the neck. This had recurred after operation several times before. He was one of the thousands of Dominicans who voted with their feet for US Navy Ship COMFORT. As in the days of Noah, when the door was shut, thousands more were turned away broken hearted.
Given Cuba’s enduring medical contributions to Dominica and a promised state of the art hospital from China, would the few-day visit of the American hospital ship make any difference in the healthcare of the average Dominican?
USNS COMFORT is designed to provide care for combat injuries of US troops. In peacetime it most often serves humanitarian purposes and deploys in disaster zones. You did not see any heavy cannons like traditional warships. Her crew carried no offensive weapons. According to the Geneva Conventions, any attack upon her would be considered a war crime. Without the help of Comfort, Haiti would have lost a lot more than the 250, 000 in the 2010 earthquake. In Port au Prince that January, COMFORT celebrated its first on-board delivery: a 4 pound 5 ounce preemee named Esther.
Freeness can bring out the malcasé in the masses. The Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force did an outstanding job maintaining order and security. It was a herculean task organizing the land-based clinics at DGS & PSS and screening for on-ship surgery. Kudos to Acting Director of Primary Healthcare, Dr. Laura Esprit and her team of District Medical Officers, Community Health Nurses and all the others who helped make this thing happen.
Dr. Rhonda McIntyre and Dr Fakoya of Ross and of All Saints Universities respectively worked tirelessly to coordinate medical student support. Nurse Cecilia Robin was unstoppable is ensuring that the Dominica Cadet Corps medical unit got additional training in Basic Life Support Dominica’s Top Lifesaver Country campaign. Numerous other medical personnel availed
themselves of the high tech training in Pediatric Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Professionals and patients alike benefited on a massive scale. (Click here to watch video)
The imposing grandeur of USNS Comfort does have that element of ‘shock and awe.’ What, in my view, would be a more constructive use of resources would be a smaller ship equipped with technologies not available in islands such as ours: heart and brain surgery for example. Such a ship would be cheaper, lighter, faster. It would therefore able to make regular port calls, let’s say, every 12 months or so. Free healthcare is nice, but even well-discounted would be greatly appreciated. Such an arrangement would relieve the enormous burden on families having to raise incredible amount of funds for advanced medical care overseas. It would also cut into the practice of government assistance to selected patients often disbursed as political favours.
Che, the Argentine born doctor, even more than Fidel, was the face of the Cuban revolution. His dashing beard and starred beret have even become a chic fashion statement in the heart of capitalism. It was Che who pioneered the concept of using medicine to win the hearts and minds of the oppressed. Cuba has become that quintessential little engine that keeps saying, “I think I can. I think I can.” How a nation of its size has been able to send thousands of medical personnel around the world to do good, is simply a phenomenon unprecedented in history. Notice you don’t hear much about Ebola anymore?
The world is plagued with modern day barbarians who shoot up college dormitories, blow up churches and chop of as many heads as they can in the name of God. Even the US concedes that it is sheer madness to keep Cuba on the same terrorist list with these characters. I am proud to be part of the PetroCaribe clinics featuring Cuban doctors. Ambassador Juan Carlos de la Rosa personally supervised the little village health fairs. How many Dominicans have benefited from eye surgery in Cuba? We say unending ‘muchas gacias’ to Drs. Sanchez, Gabriel, Vargas, several other specialists, intensive care nurses and allied health personnel who consistently labour long and hard in the trenches. But will things change when the Cuban embargo is completely lifted? Who knows?
So, back to the question: will COMFORT keep Dominicans healthy? Was it worth it? Ask Fitzroy. I don’t know about you, but I have some idea how he would answer. Oh, he will still need periodic steroid injections to suppress regrowth of his keloid. But we have that covered. One of those days he may even show you the final product. COMFORT touched thousands of lives in Dominica for which we offer heartfelt gratitude. Indeed, we need more COMFORT – hopefully in more sustained and regular fashion.
Our leaders over time have been quite adept with a policy of healthcare assistance. “We will take it any way we can get it.” It is written, every good and perfect gift comes from above. So if geopolitical strategy still confuses you, just thank God, from whence cometh our help.
Major Sam Christian is a former Battalion Surgeon of the 983rd Combat Engineers, US Army Reserve. He now heads the medical unit of the Dominica Cadet Corps. He can be reached at Urgent Care on 137 Bath Road, Roseau (767 440-9133) or by logging on to ttp://urgentcareda.weebly.com/
that does not mean that some of our people were not performing at their best and very efficient DR esprit FOR EXAMPLE respect to that woman very efficient and polite i just wish that more of our people was like her very humble and not puffed up at all like some of those who had to act like a male peacock showing off its colours on it;s tail and nothing not there. whoever is responsible for healthcare in dominica needs to put a workshop or seminar in place to train our medical practitioners and nurses a lesson in public relations
freeness can bring out malcasse in the masses? what is that suppose to mean? If anything what brought out the malcasse in the masses was the inefficiency of our people in processing the clients.for example it took hours to get from one point to the next but as soon as you got to the people from the ship it was a different kettle of fish smooth going it was obvious to everyone how untrained and pathetic our people were.there is this one nurse in particular from the south of the island omg this woman needs a lesson in etiquette. As a nurse i found her to be very out of place, the way she was shouting and actually manhandling people i stood there and see this same nurse handle a slim woman from grand bay so rough to put her back in line i was shocked, i stood there open mouth. I was actually embarrassed at that nurse’s behaviour.i was told she is a christian and i am thinking to myself if that is the behaviour of christians i want no part of christianity. It
” It would also cut into the practice of government assistance to selected patients often disbursed as political favours.”
Dr. Christian you need to retract that!!!!! I know people personally who was assisted by this government and didn’t vote for the DLP i can attest to that program having absolutely NO POLITICAL BIASNESS TO IT!!!!!
You appear to be bright so do not cloud your mind with unfounded rumors and even write it as if its facts!!!!! You should know better than that!!!!!!!!!! Persons who get medical assistance under the Public Assistant Program are NOT SCREENED on their POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS ALL DOMINICANS AND I MEAN ALL DOMINICANS ARE ENTITLE TO BENEFIT AND TRUST ME ONCE THEY HAVE MET THE CRITERIA THEY DO GET THE HELP WHETHER THEY ARE BLUE, RED, GREEN, ORANGE, YELLOW OR PURPLE!!!!!!
I still cannot understand how educated people on this island got so POLITICALLY FOOLISH must be the effect of…………. LORD HELP US SMDFH!!!!!!!
And of all the things he said that s all you comment on?!
So who is politically foolish? !
Wau papa Joe, u seem to know too much and you got too much power. Asking tp retract what, the truth? Medical help is given as political favors…deal with it, cause its the truth!
Mary, Mary, quite contrary.
Did the president get eye surgery first on the boat and how many poor malayway missed out. Why do you find it so hard to believe the truth.
Congrats on reading the good doctors article. But it can only do you goodif ur stay calm and reason the facts together. Stay balanced. Its good for your heart.
Dr Christian you stucked to facts and figures. Very educational and love style of writing…
Mahaut is so of Dr. Esprit. I know busy she was. When she is in charge everybody is eager to work. Congrats on getting the job done.
Dr. Christian
Thanks! Your article is like a breath of fresh air! Not so sure about the caption of the story, a bit off colour but your presentation of the story is likely to evoke very different thought processes from those putrid comments which I read following another story on this site on the same topic.
Oh how perspectives can differ when our primary motivation is not hatred and bias!
Thanks again!
Dr. Sam, thanks for getting me and so many other patients on the boat. I’m glad you a are straight talker. In Dominica, people think you either have to always sing for your supper or be angry all the time, criticizing and trying to tear down things because they not in power. We know that when you get to operate in Dominica, you will doing all these same things you did in the US military.
Thank God for Uncle Sam and Dr. Sam!
I am very greatful for Comfort for offering their services to Dominica.
The paedritrican who attended to my kids was very friendly and left a good impression on my kids.
I agree that they should offer their services to the Caribbean more often even at a discounted price.
Thanks doc for this article. We can always count on you to acknowledge and applaud the good people do.
Way papa. He reach ,at last!.
I don’t get it. Was the point of the visit to “keep Dominicans healthy”? Is that USNS Comfort’s responsibility? I thought this was simply an opportunity for many to seek medical assistance, check-ups and the services of specialists. Many of those who took advantage of the medical expertise offered by USNS Comfort cannot afford such services otherwise. And, very often, it’s a case of taking a chance with your life at the hospital.
So why does this have to be referred to derisively as “freeness”?
Seems to me the author had a problem with the free medical services offered and with the fact that it was an American ship.
wow…I guess when different people read a blog, they get different things out of it.
Here it is you seized on the word ‘freeness’ which was mentioned exactly once by the author. I didn’t get any derisiveness about the ‘freeness’ (such as it rightly is) from the author. If he was derisive about anything it was about the ‘mal kassayness’ of our fellow Dominicans…
Let’s not quibble about everything nuh. The good doctor was extolling the virtues of the PetroCaribe health clinics, the Ross and All Saints clinics, but I guess you couldn’t see that, right?
Perhaps he should have thought about their virtues in earlier articles.
How much did the visit cost?
This is a refreshing new perspective on the hospital ship visit. Dr. Sam, your article is based on facts. You gave credit to whom it is due. I learned a lot of things I did not know before.
I can see your are restless in promoting the best for your patients and Dominica. Thanks for showing us what they can do on board the US Navy ship. Two different kinds of help. You made me see it is in our interest to get both as long as we can.
Why u hate our pm?
The good doctor loves his PM, just as much as he loves you for taking the time to read his article.
You should sit down with him and discuss the facts of matter. Break bread together and build a better Dominica.
You illiterate learn to read and understand. Where did you see that he hate the PM???
He more like the PM than all you like. Some of all you singing for all you supper. The good doctor not getting nothing from government.
Excellent. Dr Christian you wrote a balanced article which gave a rightful tribute to both Cuba for its aid in educating our health care workers and the US for sending the USNS Comfort. But we cannot live on charity of others and must work together to build better health care on island. Charity starts by building our homeland : the Cuban trained doctors should build a Che Clinic.
Dr. Laura Esprit, she helped alot, good job!