The oxymoronic, egalitarian inequality
MY HEARTFELT condolences to the family and friends of Jodian Fearon. From what I understand, 23-year-old Jodian was being readied to give birth at the Andrews Memorial Hospital when her condition caused the medical team to wonder if she had COVID-19. That led to a series of happenings that saw an attempt being made to transfer her to the University Hospital of the West Indies. That failed, so an attempt was made to get her into the Victoria Jubilee Hospital. That attempt also failed. Finally, she was sent to the Spanish Town Hospital where, after an inordinate delay, she was admitted and her baby delivered, albeit traumatically.
Reports allege that Jodian’s condition deteriorated further and was transferred and admitted to the University Hospital of the West Indies, where she succumbed. It’s understood that her COVID-19 test came back negative. This series of events and her demise have precipitated a firestorm of criticisms and ridicule upon all the medical institutions and the much-vaunted readiness of the Ministry of Health and Wellness to accommodate COVID-19 patients.
Although the autopsy revealed a pre-existing, potentially serious heart condition, pending investigations will reveal whether or not the multiple delays occasioned her passing. The situation brings to mind a powerful and unforgettable quote from George Orwell’s book, Animal
Farm, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
Past experiences have taught me that who you are plays a huge role in how you get treated. I solemnly believe that if Jodian were the daughter of a big shot, especially a big shot in politics, Heaven and Earth would have been moved to save her. Even if the outcome were the same, we would be far more understanding if it were obvious that she received celebrity care. Evidently, this was not the case.
In 2014, I was getting a kitchen cupboard installed. The contractor was messing up repeatedly, this was his third try. I inspected the cupboard, called him and remarked that it looked like a primary-school project gone bad. He presented a conglomeration of vapid excuses. I retorted, “Tell me something. Would you give Butch Stewart a job looking like that?” He said, “No”. I told him how disrespected I felt and reminded him how expensive he was.
WAVED THROUGH
Many years ago, I sent a patient to the University Hospital of the West Indies A&E (Accident & Emergency) Department. A security guard stopped him and informed him that they were only seeing dire emergencies. The patient and his wife tried to explain the urgency of his situation, but the security guard was having none of it. As they argued, the same security guard waved through another patient. My patient asked how it was that he let the man in. The security guard explained, “Him a hole him side, him have appendicitis.” Whereupon, my patient stepped aside and called his sister, who happened to be a member of the board at that time. Within a few minutes, he was ushered inside.
I recall visiting with my father who was a patient in the Tony Thwaites Wing (at the University Hospital), when a celebrity politician was admitted beside him amid great hubbub, a flood of security officers, and a cascade of medical personnel. Even some administrators turned up on the ward just to ensure that everything went smoothly! The usual protocols (‘established procedures’) and long waiting times for investigations and results were somehow circumvented … I know this because I took in every detail from the other side of the curtain. All the time that this was unfolding I mused, why can’t the same effort be put into taking care of every human being? We are all entitled to ‘special treatment’, because we are all special in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. Jodian certainly deserved better.