Alred C. Frett. Photo: VINO/File

Unfortunately, the Masses refused to look ahead in order to avoid Disasters so they never realised their own responsibilities or Government’s resolve to push Dead Elephants up-hill at any cost… Instead, they rejected the message that their failure to Boycott the Snap Election would effectively silence them and create a real Dictatorship and now that it has arrived they are still asking, How?

Again the answer is simple – Government is fully aware that anyone failing to Boycott that Election volunteered to damage their Credibility and destroy their Moral Authority to critique any subsequent actions of the Elected Government… Clearly, they feel no obligation to listen to anyone for the next four years but we should not think Dynamite can close the leak we created because it gets worse.

Such actions allowed them to regard us as Fools so in selling their Ponzi Scheme they pulled out all the Stops and replaced them with devious Promises – Patients are promised Free Medical Care, Private Providers are promised increased Income for treating Patients like Prisoners and Cash Cows and Public Health Managers are promised unlimited Revenue to cover Waste and Mismanagement.

Using Victims to victimise other Victims:

Their first step was to increase Public Health Costs to unaffordable levels and discriminate against Non-Residents with Charges several times higher than those of Residents… Furthermore, their Scheme forces Employers to act as Government Collection Agents and extort more Social Security Taxes from struggling Employees even as they – the Employers - are charged a Fee in the process.

No wonder this Dictatorial Social Experiment has placed so many under severe Stress and fuelled emotions where the Masses are becoming trapped in contests of ‘bullheadedness’… However, this is not the answer - Government holds the proverbial Handle while we are left struggling with the Blade and our only chance of success is to seek and apply realistic options within our own capability.

It no longer matters how special or different we think we are because our Egos have already exhausted too many opportunities and as mere Humans we now fall within one or more of six (6) Categories targeted or influenced by Policies, Procedures and Promises of this Insurance Scheme –You can easily reason where you fall in these Categories for there are no exceptions to this Rule.

Finding our own Category in reference to the National Health Insurance Scheme:

Cat#1: - BVI Belongers, whether Acquired or by Birth, often see themselves as having Special Rights and Privileges within the Territory, placing them above and beyond so-called Non-Belongers.

Cat#2: - Non-Belongers, who as Foreign Nationals see themselves as vital contributors to a Country that treats them like the Enemy and discriminates against them in almost every aspect.

Cat#3: - Employers, often influenced by Capitalism, feel that as the ones taking the Financial Risks they are entitled to maximise their Profits and minimize their Losses by whatever means necessary.

Cat#4: - Employees, who always feel underpaid, overworked and consumed by a tendency to see how little they can put into their Areas of Employment compared to how much they can take out.

Cat#5: - Private Medical Care Providers who may be Employees or Employers tasked with the Social Responsibility of providing Health Care on Demand to Patients – usually for a Fee. 

Cat#6: - Patients, whether Employees, Employers or Unemployed, who share the common need for immediate access to Medical Care and have little or no interest in Social or Political Arguments.

Building Legacies on Threats & Promises:

We all fall within the Big Picture and for years I have explained the Pitfalls & shortcomings so I thank those who listened and understood… Unfortunately, some Persons are just paying attention to NHI because they are hearing of Threats where Non-Belongers may not have their Work Permit renewed and Employers may not have their Trade Licenses renewed if they oppose the Scheme.

Many have become very stressed and afraid and while I have certainly not changed my negative assessment of the proposed National Health Insurance, it would be wrong not to recognise these threats and empathise with the threatened since we may have collectively created Leaders determined not to heed our words but seem intent to blame and make us pay for their failures.

NHI is seriously flawed and many Persons have offered good Ideas for its improvement – It is unwise for Government to ignore these suggestions… Nonetheless, we should take the high ground for there is nothing to be gained by becoming their Scapegoats and, the saying, “Those who don’t hear will feel’ fully applies to the Government as much as it does to the People.

It is time to refocus on the best way forward and in doing so my objective is neither to please nor displease - you must make up your own mind… However, History shows that our failures have come from too much reaction and too little pre-consideration so I have listened to arguments from all quarters and tried to put myself in all Six (6) Categories before arriving at a reasoned conclusion.

Learning to win when others expect you to fail:

Mistakes used to correct Mistake simply beget more Mistakes and it cannot be stressed enough that we are already reaping the Consequences associated with our mistake, not to Boycott the Snap Election… We are now in a dilemma where it would be another mistake for Employees, Employers and Private Health Care Providers to reject this National Health Insurance Scheme.

Think about it - If all resistance to NHI is removed then Government will have only themselves to blame if the System is overwhelmed by everyone trying to use their promised Freeness and Providers calling for their huge Payments… On the other hand if Government is right we should all acknowledge it; just as if they are wrong, we would be justified in demanding immediate changes.

Whatever the case, January is a mere 2 months away and we shall see the effects in short order… I will not attempt to speak for other Health Care Providers but they may find themselves positioned where their ‘gut feelings’ may have to take a back seat to the fact that it would be irresponsible and unprofessional for them to refuse Patients access to the Care and Services they generally provide.

With B&F Medical Complex, this is especially true since our Mission has always been that ‘People’s Health comes 1^st and we see all Patients while turning no one away’… My Wife and I addressed this by strengthening our commitment to ensuring our Patients continue to receive the Best Care we can offer at more Affordable Costs than those proposed by the Government’s Public Health Sector.

This is our way of ensuring that we could provide Medical Care to all - including National Health Insurance Patients - without chasing after the NHI Dollar… I thank everyone including our Staff for their frank input and the Correspondence from us to NHI’s Management clearly states our firm position on the matter… However, this will never stop me fighting for improvements to the System.

PS: I will continue addressing some of your Questions & Comments on Live BVP Radio Programmes