Why stop walk-in clinic?

THE EDITOR: Please allow me a space in your newspaper. I am writing to inform you about an incident that happened to me in Port-of-Spain, George Street Health Centre to be exact. About two months ago, I was feeling very ill and one of my co-workers who lives in Port-of-Spain told me that I could visit the said institution as they have a walk-in-clinic. This walk-in-clinic allows anyone regardless of where you live, (I live in Arima), but work in Port-of-Spain, to seek medical attention. This I did, the staff was very helpful and I saw the doctor and was treated for my condition.

Several days after, I thanked my co-worker for the advice, telling her that having a walk-in-clinic was a fantastic idea. As it meant firstly, I did not have to spend any money. Secondly, I did not have to face the Port-of-Spain General Hospital that is normally overcrowded and understaffed. This problem often means that sick people have lengthy waiting periods to receive sometimes very urgent medical attention. Having walk-in-clinics is in line with Minister John Rahael’s vision for the health sector and that of the Government’s Vision 2020. I believe I read that the minister visited this institution sometime recently and so I wonder if he is aware of this. I know that if the focus is on primary health care, which is essentially preventative health care, we will have a healthier society.

We also know that with the high cost of living, and medical care being one of those factors that contribute to reduced disposable income, being able to access health care is a priority for anyone. So imagine my horror, when I went to the health centre with my sick child only to be told that the walk-in-clinics have been stopped and that there are only two days, Mondays and Fridays, where regular sick persons can be seen. The Child Welfare Clinic, which is the appropriate clinic for my daughter is on Tuesdays, but unfortunately, I visited on a Wednesday. I know that most, if not all health centres have clinic days for different “conditions,” however, you cannot predict when you will be sick, especially for a child.

So it is definitely a retrograde step to reduce the days. I was told that I could go to the hospital or visit Mt Hope Hospital. The truth was that financially, I was not in a position to travel to Mt Hope, so what was I to do? I almost cried. I begged a nurse to allow me to see a doctor, I knew that they had more than one doctor, there were about three the last time I visited. But she refused and she seemed to delight in the fact that there were no walk-in-clinics for reasons that I cannot yet comprehend.

This brings me to the question. Are people in the health care service humane? Do they have families or children? Or is it that they are in a privileged position by being workers in a health institution that they do not have to worry about such things? I am sure that none of the workers at the health centre would like this treatment meted out to them if they had to go to one of our main hospitals, private hospitals or even another health centre.
Please people, have a heart!

R GILBERT
Arima