Kangaloo’s candour

CHRISTINE KANGALOO’S open admission that she had breast cancer is commendable, not only because it testifies to her personal candour, but also because it would serve to inspire the legion of women who may be inflicted with this particular disease. The minister in the Office of the Prime Minister revealed the history of her health problem to the assembled media at Thursday’s post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall. Her poise and frankness as she spoke about her ordeal was notable; it struck a refreshing note in the normally dry and businesslike session between ministers of Government and the press.

Kangaloo, who is responsible for the delivery of Government’s social services, is back on her job at Whitehall after her return from overseas last Saturday. She had been away from TT since September 16 undergoing a course of cancer treatment which involved surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The country will be relieved to hear that the minister has been given a clean bill of health by her doctors and that she was now “anxious, ready, willing and able” to resume her duties in the Office of the Prime Minister. The country will also feel a special sense of appreciation for Kangaloo’s maturity and open honesty in speaking about her health problem since, in fact, she is the first member of the Government ever to do so.

For whatever reason, we have seen other ministers either going abroad for medical treatment or entering local hospitals for attention to various diseases or illnessess but declining either to speak openly about their ailment or issue a public statement about it, although their treatment was received at taxpayers’ expense. For example, the public does not know for sure what is the problem for which Public Administration Minister Lennie Saith recently sought treatment abroad. The same applies to Public Utilities and Environment Minister Pennelope Beckles. Indeed, we recall that when Patrick Manning, then Leader of the Government, went to Cuba for an operation on his heart we were told that he was going off on vacation which would include a visit to Jamaica.

Why do ministers of Government or elected representatives become so secretive and cagey about health problems that are the common lot of humankind? We can understand such an attitude if they happen to contract a sexually transmitted disease as a result of illicit or immoral conduct. As exemplars, they may want to conceal such a condition, but there is no moral derogation in contracting ailments such as cancer and heart disease which affect millions of persons across the globe, simply out of the condition of normal living. The silliness of this attitude is seen when we compare it with that of leaders in more developed countries. Dramatic examples come to mind in the United States where the health problems of prominent officials are not only announced publicly but their attending physicians also give media interviews detailing the course of treatment they are administering.

Some weeks ago, the entire world was informed that former President Bill Clinton had undergone quadruple heart bypass surgery. And there was never any secret of the fact that another ex-president, Ronald Reagan, suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease. In this context, Christine Kanagloo’s adult, mature and open announcement of her cancer and the treatment she underwent not only sets a refreshing example for our leaders, but also underscores the enlightened attitude that there should be no stigma to falling sick, or to suffering from the ailments that all flesh is heir to.