Dear Editor,
Let me begin by stating that this open letter is not to throw dirt on the hard-working medical personnel on St. Maarten. They have shown to go above and beyond to save the lives of their patients daily and in times of crises they will go the extra mile.
However, on occasions I have had negative experiences at the SMMC and so have many with me. From long waiting lines (even with appointments) without any information to being treated rudely, even yelled at, when asking a question; I’ve experienced and heard many examples.
I’m sure there are also positive experiences and many would disagree with what I am sharing here. At the same time, I have heard enough negatives to feel the need to express this in the hope for positive change and continuous improvement to the health sector on St. Maarten.
Generally, when one visits the hospital, they are in a vulnerable situation where they need support. This goes beyond the physical treatments that are expected. Care lies also in how a patient is treated from the moment of entry until discharge. My personal experience, however, is that such care is often lacking. And I know I am not the only one. I have heard people stating they would try to be as nice as possible to the nursing staff or support personnel, just to not agitate anybody in fear of having to wait even longer for the care they need.
It is astonishing to me that patients in their vulnerable situation feel the need to please hospital personnel because they will otherwise be approached rudely or are scared that they will be denied timely care because of retaliation. Moreover, patients tend to accept being treated rudely out of this fear. I don’t think that is beneficial to the care product that a medical centre should want to deliver. Some people don’t even want to risk getting into this rude behaviour and choose to go to another medical facility instead. Moreover, the way people are treated does not really inspire trust that the physical treatments will be up to standard.
Take the child delivery and maternity ward as an example; my experience on St. Maarten is that pregnant women and mothers with new-born babies are treated with utmost care and consideration in society. People are friendly and total strangers will help wherever they can. I truly love this welcoming culture towards babies and small children on St. Maarten! All the more striking then, is to hear multiple examples where, during childbirth, these mothers are not taken seriously. I have heard multiple times where a mother felt she was ready to give birth, was told this could not be the case and was left behind – in the end sometimes having to deliver outside of the delivery room and sometimes with the assistance of the father instead of the right medical personnel.
The concept of listening to the patient and taking seriously what they say is less important than following protocol? And at what risk?
During my own pregnancy, I’ve experienced a few rude behaviours from supporting personnel as well. One day, early in the morning, I needed to pick up a letter and without having said “good morning” received a door in my face with the statement, “We’re not open yet.” Basic decency seems to be lacking. On another occasion, when inquiring about fees, I received rolling eyes, yelling and my reasons were being questioned. It begs the question whether you are seen as a patient or a nuisance to persons that don’t seem interested in truly doing their job.
For me this was one of the main reasons to not have my baby here on St. Maarten, because I don’t want to be in an intimidating environment when I need care and attention instead. While this choice comes at a high cost, it shows to what length people can go to avoid being treated at the medical centre. I often hear friends talk about not going to the SMMC despite the fact that they need medical care because they feel unsafe or that they choose to go to the French side instead.
While I can mention many more examples of bad experiences that I have heard over the years, or experienced myself, it is not the purpose of this letter. The purpose is to stress that as much as the building of a new general hospital is welcome, the investment will be worthless if SMMC does not also invest in its people. The ill-treatment of patients by some is, in my opinion, indicative of a bad work environment that has to be addressed to improve the care experience of SMMC’s patients.
I refuse to believe that people decide to work in the medical field to treat patients rudely and I would call SMMC therefore to look at what can be done to improve the service delivery through investing in the people that are to deliver those services. To put it softly: bad interaction skills don’t leave room for a safe environment and people will question other abilities as well. It’s hard to trust medical personnel in a vulnerable position if they are not even able to do small things right. Because a situation where patients in vulnerable situations feel the need to “kill hospital staff with kindness” is the world upside down.
Name withheld
