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ing staff, admin staff, records, etc.,” says Walters.
“As for being a teaching hospital, I would like to
say ‘yes,’ but no. Let me explain that. Our country
has a few private healthcare facilities offering
secondary care, but MCMH is the only major,
secondary healthcare facility that provides that
type of care to the public. That being said, we
have four medical schools, and students from
two of those schools utilize our facility. Our
doctors, our consultants, teach at these medical
schools and the students come to our hospital
to do practical and hands-on observational
teaching. Also, our nursing students use MCMH
as a facility for learning, but we do not have a
school attached, so we are not a teaching hos-
pital in the truest sense.”
The healthcare system in Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines is run by the government. Medi-
cal services are provided with a minimum user’s
fee.Walters notes, “Some people have individ-
ual healthcare insurance, but we do not have a
national healthcare insurance policy. At present,
there are discussions in that direction, but we
are not there yet. So, the government foots the
bill.” Medication is basically free for the popu-
lace; they pay only an administrative cost of five
dollars. There are a few drugs for specific cases
that cost more, but those are not a broad spec-
trum.
With the opening of the island’s Argyle Inter-
national Airport on Feb. 14,Walters acknowl-
edges, “We are expecting many persons from
different countries will now visit Saint Vincent.
So, as a healthcare system, we have to deter-
mine what services are required for us to per-
form on the international level to facilitate vis-
itors and tourists. The international airport will
help guide the direction of healthcare in the
region; expanding services to cater to everyone.”
She adds, “In the case of a traveller having an
accident or illness, we should have at least the
basics until you can go back home. As it is now,
we are there, but people may have their own