Unlike most other countries, Dominican patients increasingly come too late for treatment. The numbers are actually quite frightening. Let’s not be afraid to ask ourselves why. At least two main dysfunctional beliefs immediately jump into sharp focus:
1. Bush medicine cures all. In many of our minds, science can make an awesome cell phone but not advanced medical or surgical treatments
2. Commanding disease to be healed by the laying on of hands and casting out in faith. Preventive health checks, pharmacists, nurses, doctors and hospitals is for when all else fails.
There is indeed a place for quietly visiting the shut-ins one-on-one and showing that our community cares.
I love great praise & worship music, traditional hymns as well as evolving local genres like Bouyon. However, that self-serving gospel concert was somewhat like fruit cake. It peddled a dash fake cures here, a sprinkling of fake hope there and of course – the main ingredient: a heaping scoop of clown show!
It illustrated for all to see how decisions of state at the highest levels are strongly influenced by such backward, vain & magical thinking. The net result is a country steadily dropping in most objective indicators of development and progress.
We wrestle not against flesh and blood. We are in the thick of an intense spiritual battle. Believing they are there forever, the rulers of darkness persist in wasting time, energy and resources on mindless victimization, persecution and hoarding. They seek to transform themselves into angels of light through the antics of highly paid prophets. Pre-election, top-dollar free concerts are charged as “treating & bribery” in democratic countries. In Dominica it has become a trademark badge of honour. But thanks be unto God, there is always a growing remnant of faithful who shall never be confused.
Our Isle of Beauty national anthem is spot on! We have “toil with hearts and hands and voices.” We have to “Do the right, be firm, be fair.” Translation: discipline, international best practices and honest hard work is sure to transform Dominica into another sparkling St. Kitts, St. Lucia or Grenada.
Dominica desperately needs effective treatment! Let’s not be too late:
Choose this day whom ye shall serve…
The first sentence is misleading. It should have read that most people in the world like to procrastinate their medical visit. That is why cancer is so difficult to cure, to late is always the cry.
Why not have a programme of “prevention is better than cure” instead of this type of accusatory profile.
A few month ago I went in for my annual physical and prostate levels were elevated. Rectal exam was inconclusive. Biopsy later revealed stage 1 Prostate Cancer. I was treated with radiation and cancer is in remission as per last blood test and other exams. Had I skipped my annual physical, it would definitely metastasize and become worse. Bottom line is this: Preventative medicine to include annual physicals and tests when necessary, identifies issues early and time sensitive, proactive treatment save lives every day. At home it’s quite the opposite with prostate cancer. Our men are dying from this disease at an alarming rate. It’s usually discovered too late where nothing can be done and a painful death is the end result. If this amounts to politics with health care, then so be it.
So, let me follow up my submission, I do not know in what sequence this one will be printed.
Let me say I am a firm believer in God, as such I must believe in the healing power of God. However, God never told me or anyone not to go and visit with a doctor when we are sick. What most so called Christians fail to understand is that all knowledge came from God.
Medical science is a gift from God, and he put doctors out there to help the sick. Dominicans like to pray, but while they pray for a healing, the medication to heal them might be in a doctor’s office, or pharmacy. I pray for a healing from God; Nevertheless, I visit with my internist, who treats me for diabetes, a cardiologists, and also a kidney specialist.
One year ago a doctor went into my heart and resolve a problem I was born with!
Thank God for doctors!
Luke, the apostle of Jesus was a medical doctor.
Sam the mentality of our people are warped; our people still maintain the slave mentality: I have a cousin who talk to me on the telephone about bush medicine. The man tried to influence me to listen some bush doctor out of St. Lucia.
I told him all humans alive have some sort of medical issue, and ask him ‘do you have any kind of medical problems?’ He told me yes; I asks him well since you believe in bush medicine that the St. Lucian is selling, how come his medicine have not cure your diseases .
My cousin told me “well that old you know boy, so it will not cure that.” My contention is if there are bush medicine that cure people how come there are so many sick people in Dominica and St. Lucia. When I was a kid, I saw people boiling and a certain bush which they claim curs diabetes, those people drank that bush tea to the day diabetes kill them.
Dominicans are traditionally backwards!
Why bring politics in this article. wow to god be the glory
Well written..and the message is spot on and clear.
Belief in magic and mindless fanfare gives a great feeling of exuberance but just like many of us wait too late for medical treatment, Dominica also is in danger of suffering similar fate.
The current leaders and many Dominicans themselves don’t treat our problems with adequate concern and appropriate remedial strategies. By simply diverting our attention to the feel-good zone certainly isn’t going to get us on the right path either..
I began my day arguing with one of” Skerrit’s Disciples,” over this nonsensical concert business, vis-à-vis the deplorable state of health care and everything else on the island. They were unable to make the connection between a non-existent hospital, the inability to perform basic medical test and receive results on island, instead of sending specimens overseas for the testing and the high death rate at the hospital. Whatever Magic Potion that this government is using, has been working brilliantly. The level of ignorance that fights basic scientific data is astounding. Keep fighting the good fight.
I wish folks would be more positive about Dominica
Yes we have issues and problems but I feel like we only speak negatively about our country.
Sam is my cousin and I am not criticizing only him
This goes for ALL of us!
I think some people misunderstand the difference, between care and concern, versus criticism. Many of us who write on DNO have Dominica in our hearts all the time, however it kills us to see the type of crap that passes for advancement on the island. I oversee a program for clients who are mentally ill with chronic diseases. I can outline to you simple scientific processes that we have in place that keep people alive and help them to maintain reasonable glucose numbers. If these suggestions were made for our citizens in Dominica, they would never be implemented, because of gross incompetence and negligence.
I honestly thought this article was about health tips tbh correct me if I’m wrong. A lot of the tips are spot on. Our dependency on bush medicine and reliance on faith (both of which are very important because faith has the ability to heal mentally and emotionally and the bush medications have proved to work wonders).But we must not ignore the contributions of science. Also, tardiness does not help the process and we need to equip ourselves in both the private and public sectors in order to develop our health sector. But this article exudes politicism rather than health consciousness. Dominica’s growth and development should not be measured by that of another county who themselves have their own issues. We must lay our own yardstick, where we want to see our people and what we want to see coming from our country
The thanksgiving concert was a good initiative I believe, we need more of those where we can worship as a nation, engage in more spiritual activities like this as one…
Did you note the writer of the article? The article IS to push a political agenda. Not saying that there aren’t any good points but he his using his medical platform to push his others.
I do not have a problem with anyone pushing his agenda in a peaceful manner. I take issue when an educated person try to treat Dominica as the scum of the earth. You only have to look at the news on Tv or on the net. In many cities in the USA hospitals are being built or expanded.
I like the way the good doctor was able to weave the need for timely and effective treatment with what ails Dominica. In other words we have a very sick patient whose name is Dominica. Good use of words Doc!