On Tuesday last week, in an exclusive interview with Dr. Lowel Lewis, repeat Chief Medical Officer and former Chief Minister of Montserrat, he brought a different, new and other perspectives to the discussion of a hospital site for a new hospital which he as Chief Minister had left in a position ready to be taken forward since he left the Chief Minister’s office in 2009.
The very experienced surgeon and now new Chief Medical Officer took up office, one which he held previously in the mid-1980s. In the interview by Bennette Roach TMR editor, the CMO was asked, almost on the side as he was expectedly briefed, for a comment about the new hospital which has been a hot topic of discussion particularly since the new government took office in September 2014.
“I have been fully briefed,” Dr Lewis began, “and as you know it’s not just about choosing the site; you then have to do all the studies – geological studies, soil studies. You have to find out your systems, what your sewage system is, your water supply, road system access, all sorts of things.”
The visionary doctor continued freely. “These are factors that may influence where you put it, and what type of building it is, depends on vulnerability to hazards hurricanes, floods and so on. And I think there’s always the cost factor.”
Dr. Lewis went on to address the economic factor, another area not heard in the public discussions and which are crucial to the placement and construction of a modern hospital especially. “I think what we have to do in making decisions is how to best use the investments coming in for the project to help a lot of things. “For instance, that there’s the infrastructure required for a hospital function is the infrastructure also can drive the development in housing.”
He then expressed the personal hope, “that they would have found a site a little bit because we lost a long time ago, the opportunity to really sort out our new town and we still haven’t sorted out sewer systems and been able to have cheap supply of regular water.”
All of these things, he said, “if in addressing the hospital siting, all those things take place, then we would have served one purpose more than another.”
Addressing the matter directly of the hospital being important to the economy, he said, “The important thing is that we don’t think of the hospital as just a place to look after sick people. The Hospital is an important part of the economy; of making sure that Montserrat remains an attractive place for people of all ages to come and live; for people to have business; for visitors to come in and enjoy the warmth away from winter climate.”
Contributing more to the discussion of hospital siting and development and other key scenarios, calling it a key component, linking the hospital with tourism development, for example, he continued, “So it’s not just looking at health sector looking after sick people. It’s about the hospital and the health service been a key component of the infrastructure for the economy to grow and the population to grow.
