I WISH to express publicly my support for the thousands of disgruntled East Berbicians who have suffered as a result of the negligence by health workers and officials at the New Amsterdam hospital.

In recent years, I have been visiting the New Amsterdam Hospital quite often and it is a shame to observe in this age, the poor maintenance of the compound and wards; the way ailing individuals are being treated by nurses; the harassment of pregnant women and children among others.

I wish to mention also that in my opinion the accident and emergency unit is an accident by itself. On the other hand there is also the out-patient department, that always guarantees bad luck after hours of long waiting.

Many would agree that what is taking place at the New Amsterdam hospital is totally unacceptable. Some may argue that there is a shortage of staff but there is no excuse for nurses having snacks or lunch at 09:00 a.m. or knitting crochet, selling edible items and participating in other activities not pertaining to their job. Some doctors should also be blamed for being at their private clinics during working hours or finding themselves in places where they ought not to be.

The Minister of Health must be commended for accepting the fact and declaring that the New Amsterdam Hospital is the worst in the country. However, the Minister needs to act more and ensure that if those at the hospital want to remain in the system they must prove that they want to work efficiently at all times.

I therefore challenge all Health workers (Doctors and Nurses) to be more caring and reach out to those in need.
Gershom Rohoman.