Owen King European Union Hospital.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia--The President of the St. Lucia Medical and Dental Association (SLMDA) has written a strongly worded letter complaining about the situation at the Owen King European Union Hospital (OKEUH) and in the local healthcare system.
Dr. Merle Clarke wrote the letter on behalf of OKEUH physicians.
Dr. Clarke addressed the July 31, 2024, letter to Chairperson of the Millennium Heights Medical Complex (MHMC) Board of Directors Joanna Reynold-Arthurton.
The MHMC comprises the OKEUH, the National Mental Wellness Centre, the Turning Point Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre, and the Secondary Care Hospital.
In her letter, the SLMDA president said the consensus of the OKEUH physician body is that the MHMC board, ostensibly tasked with drafting policy to run the hospital efficiently, has “failed miserably”.
According to Dr. Clarke, a significant proportion of the board’s membership appeared to focus solely on micromanagement and creating a toxic environment rather than ensuring conditions to guarantee the best patient care.
The SLMDA president noted that St. Lucia’s current patient profile comprises an ageing population, a high burden of chronic non-communicable diseases, and victims of unchecked violent crime, and road accidents.
However, Dr. Clarke questioned how the OKEUH could function and how its physicians could save lives without basic resources.
“Are you aware that physicians have had to bring in their own supplies to ensure that patients with Diabetic Ketoacidosis – a life-threatening complication of Diabetes – are monitored and managed?” The SLMDA president asked.
In addition, Dr. Clarke pointed to the lack of other essential equipment and drugs and a chronic lack of bed space, resulting in critically ill patients getting healthcare management on chairs.
Meanwhile, the SLMDA president observed that average St. Lucians vent their wrath on frontline healthcare workers who see people at their most vulnerable.
“Never has it been this bad,” Dr. Clarke asserted. She said many feel helpless and are ready to resign.
Dr. Clarke revealed that four senior consultants and “multiple junior physicians” have quit in the last few months. She urged the MHMC board to get their act together and run the hospital properly or allow a team that is up to the task to do so.
“The current conditions are unacceptably dangerous,” Dr. Clarke warned.
“Are you aware, or do you even care, that many patients, when referred, are uttering the heart-wrenching words: ‘I prefer to go home and die than go to OKEUH’? How can we sleep knowing that this is the pitiful plight of our people?
“We will not continue to stand by and ‘make do with what is available’ only to be publicly maligned by some of your own members when outcomes are less than favourable. We reiterate you need to step up or step out,” the SLMDA president concluded. ~ St. Lucia Times ~
