The Tribune

VIOLENCE, car crashes and “poor compliance with treatment” are the among the leading factors driving the rising cost of healthcare, Governor-General Sir Arthur Foulkes said.

He called for an intensified effort to educate the public on how to live healthy in early in life and thereby avoid unnecessary illnesses later on.

Sir Arthur said this will also help reduce the need for admission to facilities such as the Geriatrics Hospital and senior citizens homes.

Speaking during his annual Christmas visit to the Flamingo Gardens Polyclinic, the governor general said: “While the role of the government is to ensure proper conditions in which people are able and encouraged to maintain good health, the avoidance of risky behaviour that contributes to poor health rests in the hands of the individual client.”

He commended administrators and staff at the facility for their work in the surrounding community, but said more still needs to be done.

Healthcare providers at the facility make almost 5,000 home visits a year, and also visit an average of 75 senior citizens per month.

“This is commendable,” Sir Arthur said. “Of grave concern, however, was the fact that of the 75 monthly visits to the elderly, 37 per cent are diagnosed with either hypertension, diabetes, or both.

“Some have cancer, amputation of a limb, or other chronic illnesses that seriously impact their quality of life.”

In addition to providing healthcare services to residents of Flamingo Gardens, physicians from the clinic help out every week at the Gambier and Adelaide clinics as well as the Immigration Detention Centre.

They also provide relief aid to the communities of Acklins, Crooked Island, Bimini, Cat Island, Inagua and Mayaguana.

Emergency medical consultations between the Flamingo Gardens Clinic and the providers in these islands can occur on a daily basis, 24 hours a day.