COMMENTARY: What Opening?

It appears that the Roosevelt Skerrit government is shaping up to have an official “opening” of a new health facility in the village of Marigot soon. This time around it will be a health centre; on the horizon, once the faulty works can be rectified the new Marigot Hospital will be “opened”.

The question is what opening are we talking about?

If anything, maybe Skerrit is celebrating the first attempt by a government to build a health facility in the village of Marigot. Prior to now, all health facilities in the community were largely community-based efforts. The government’s only interaction with health facilities in the village had been the demolition of not one but two hospitals built by the people of Marigot with generous participation from surrounding villagers.

One hundred years ago, the people of Marigot were like the entire world reeling from the effects of the Spanish Flu Pandemic that claimed millions of lives. The records do not show if any Dominicans died as a result of the pandemic but one can imagine the trepidation, angst, and anxiety that was prevalent. At that time there was no significant health facility serving the district far less the village. A very visionary villager by the name of Martin Luther Boland embarked on a mission to build a hospital in the village. He traversed the neighbouring communities also to raise funds for the construction of the Marigot hospital.

Village historian and former Parliamentary Representative Pat Stevens shared extensive knowledge of the history of the Marigot hospital. Writing in his memoirs he stated that the hospital was built on lands donated by one Adolphus Sonny George. He further stated that the efforts to raise money was given a big boost by the intervention of a Canadian citizen Mr T B McCauley who donated £750 towards the construction of hospitals in both Marigot and Grandbay.

Local historian Dr Lennox Honychurch writing in the Marigot Heritage Day magazine in 2006 disclosed that the total cost of the hospital was £500. It should be noted that the 6-bed hospital and doctor’s residence was built by local builder named John Charles Burton whose grandson is the current parliamentary representative Mr Lennox Linton.

In 1977 a very ambitious plan to build a more modern hospital was undertaken.  Please note that this project was not driven by government but again by villagers and other communities in the north east.  The plan was to build a 25 bed hospital upstairs and other support services like labs. Operating theatre, and a maternity ward were to go on the ground floor. This project, according to Honychurch, writing in the aforementioned magazine, was to cost $400000. The project was completed with contributions from Government self-help scheme, Geest Industries, the Catholic Funds for Overseas Development (the ICM sisters played a major role in this exercise). Many villagers notably Mrs Anaclette Thomas and Mr Dudley Frank both having returned from England, made significant contributions.  In fact, Mrs Thomas was the largest individual donor and the female ward was named after her. The male ward was named after Dr Roa who was the resident doctor at the start of the project. The builder for the new hospital was Mr Thomas Davis, a Calibishie villager who took up residence in Marigot.

Once the hospital began functioning at the new site, the old hospital building was utilized as the Marigot Health Centre. Following the demolition of the old Marigot hospital the Health centre was moved to the ground floor of the Marigot hospital. After being shut down for termite infestation and surviving Hurricane Maria, the Marigot hospital was demolished to make way for the rebuilding of a more modern health facility.

Significant to note that both previous hospitals were built by local builders and the workforce was 100% local; some foreign funding but local labour.

Fast forward to 2021. The world is staring down another pandemic and the people of Marigot have no functioning health facilities.  This time though the government has initiated the building of both a health centre and a hospital.  This time though the funding for both projects is from local sources (sale of Dominican passports) and the labour and most importantly the contractors are foreign. It begs the question: Did the capacity of the village to build a third hospital diminish? Are there not competent builders, contractors if not from the village but locally who could build these facilities? Have we regressed over the past 100 years? Isn’t local money good enough for local professionals in the building industries? We are lauding the efforts of locals to plant grass and flowers whilst the lion’s share of the pie is being eaten up by foreigners? Can we no longer look on with pride at our own handiwork or is it to remind us how we have become beholden to foreign interests? What is this architectural design that assails our senses all around? Are we being programmed to accept that we cannot produce excellence?

So Labour will roll in with their crowds to their openings knowing that our eyes are shut closed to the fact that we have become subservient to foreign masters. Just now all our public buildings even our homes will look like middle eastern homes and we will have no appreciation for our local architecture. We will soon start to hate what is Dominican.

I think starting at the openings, the people of Dominica specifically those in Marigot should speak. Marigot you are the last bulwark. Save us.

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11 Comments

  1. MamaCher21
    March 16, 2021

    Reading the comments here reveal the shortsightedness of too many Dominicans. Few contemplate self-sufficiency much less “greatness” for Dominicans. If Dominican contractors cannot build in their own homeland, we can never think of exporting our skill and having those foreign dollars come home. Even worse, we don’t realize that is EXACTLY what these foreign developers are doing: taking the little resources we have and building up their own nations.

    Between interest on never-ending loans, foreign contractors, and relying on foreign goods, we are a nation in rapid self-extermination. What home-grown private sector can develop in this environment? Especially when our leader is focused on handouts instead of developing the capacity of our people.

    The vast majority of smart, hardworking, educated, skilled Dominicans have little choice but to go develop other nations; they do it not due to self-hate, but for their own sanity and financial future!

  2. Not a Coonoomoonoo
    March 15, 2021

    The writer is correct ” The hospital was built on lands…” NOT “The hospital was build on LAND.” English is simple but CLICK HERE, you are using it wrongly. LOL

    The writer referenced someone who was the village historian and Parliamentary Representative The Late Pat Stevens

    The writer stated “Writing in his memoirs he stated that the hospital was built on lands donated by one Adolphus Sonny George.”

    So CLICK HERE don’t be a coonoomoonoo

  3. Lin Clown
    March 13, 2021

    Mr Educator,Marigot was once the bread basket of Dominica.Flying fish 20 for $1.Meat,fish,food in abundance.People bought rum by the bottles.Every man wanted a girlfriend or wife from Marigot.With Edison James as Prime Minister and Lennox Linton as opposition leader,Marigot is now the WORSE village in Dominica.What do you mean by first ATTEMPT?Edison and Lennox did nothing for Marigot.

    • click here
      March 16, 2021

      So, you are saying that in 1995, flying fish was $20 for 1 dollar? i believe you are referring to a much different era. Under uwp bread was a dollar. all green seasoning and provision was under 5 dollars. and i could go on and on. now a small mastiff bread filled with air is $1.25, Kubuli is 5 dollars, and it not being made here anymore. Keep in mind that uwp was only government for a little less than 5 years eh partner. I can firmly say, that under the DLP, the administration that has EVER been in government the longest 20+ years now, the administration with the most money, Dominica has surely digressed. And Marigot is a prime example of their work. you my friend need to focus on improving your circus and stop looking to run you mouth online with your rhetoric. The facts are there, but it seems you are always unable to reason rationally due to your fanaticism. i understand, but please be aware that it makes you look like a fool.

    • VereTere
      March 16, 2021

      That’s Skerrit fault. They did not vote for him and he denied him. That’s the PM Dominica has. Like a little child in the sand pit. The parliamentary reps have no money at their disposal unless the dictator allocates money.

  4. click here
    March 12, 2021

    The hospital was build on LAND, not LANDS.. English simple english.

  5. So I See It
    March 12, 2021

    Is there anything, that we are happy with?
    Is there a single local contractor in Dominica that can front load the cost of building 12 health centres all at once? (Front loading means paying for the cost of building, materials, labour upfront, with payment only after completion)
    People were vex because there was no hospital. They were not saying we want a hospital but it must be built by local contractors? No. They just wanted a hospital.
    Now one is being built, people still vex? always changing the goal post.

  6. Observer
    March 12, 2021

    And your point – Mr. Educator? In this day and age where the world is really a village we complaining about other people participating in the development process here? I wonder how long it would have taken a local contractor to deliver. Wow!!!!

  7. Zandoli
    March 12, 2021

    Is that all you can do, complain? The fact is, local contractor take too long to accomplish the most simple tasks.
    It took years for locals to build a simple bridge at Belfast.

    I do not trust locals to manage complex projects.

  8. Roger Burnett
    March 12, 2021

    This commentary needs to be set in stone as a reminder of where we are going and what we are loosing.

    The line “We will soon start to hate what is Dominican.” is particularly relevant.

  9. Bull Dog
    March 12, 2021

    Skerrit doesn’t want Dominicans to earn money, only the cabal is allowed to do so. Everybody else needs to go to him to ask for money, probably for granting favours in return…

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