Opinion: MP On Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre
[Opinion column written by Nandi Outerbridge, MP for St George’s West]
East End residents will be glad the Lamb-Foggo Urgent Care Centre has been given another year of life so that the Bermuda Hospitals Board and the Ministry of Health can consider their options in this distracting dilemma.
But people have to think about the longer term. Even though the Centre is operating on reduced hours, it continues to be under-utilised. In his statement to the House of Assembly last week, the Minister of Health said it has seen an average of 14 people per shift, but this number has sometimes dropped down to 10 to 12 visitors.
I think the community is making a mistake about what’s going on with this facility. It has been cast by the Opposition as a kind of One Bermuda Alliance vs the People of the East End battle, but that’s not what it is at all. The OBA has as much caring feeling for the people of the East End as anyone.
This is really a community problem, in which we all share responsibility for figuring out how to deal with a White Elephant that was misconceived right from the very start.
If cost $7.5 million to build and equip. If it were a store selling groceries, the low number of customers it has been getting would have put it into bankruptcy a long time ago.
Especially in a country that has the kind of crushing debt Bermuda has, not fixing it is a crazy extravagance. It’s like not fixing a gas leak in the car, or the boat, so that money constantly drips onto the ground, or into the ocean. We just can’t afford that kind of waste.
It might be OK if the financial burden fell only on East Enders, but it doesn’t. The bulk of the waste comes out of the pockets of people from the East all the way to Dockyard and everywhere in between.
Something has to change, that’s obvious!
But East Enders also need to have access to healthcare, so that has to be part of the change. The Health Minister said that among the schemes being looked into are moving the Department of Health’s Public Health Clinics from their small and very old facility in St. George to the Lamb Foggo building. At the moment, that facility provides maternal and child health clinics, dental clinics, and wellness clinics for seniors.
While the Department of Health Clinics would not provide Urgent Care services, their regular clinics could operate in a facility that is newer and much more modern than their current location. The Lamb Foggo facility might also allow the Department to expand some of its offerings and to use the St. George facility for other purposes.
As far as Urgent Care services are concerned, the Ministry of Health is working with the Ministry of National Security to explore the feasibility of deploying Ambulance Service out of the East End and West End Port Royal stations which are now operated by the Bermuda Fire & Rescue Service.
The co-location of Bermuda Hospitals Board and Bermuda Fire Service Personnel at the satellite stations would shorten the response and transporting of medical emergencies to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.
I will be working both with my constituents and with the Minister on creative solutions to this problem, and will report back to the people of the East End whenever I can.
- Nandi Outerbridge
Who really wrote this? I believe this article is crediting Nandi….Davis with a few too many brain cells.
Now I am normally very critical of the government and who they have writing their press releases; however, after reading this article, I do believe MP Davis-Outerbridge did in fact write the article. There are several grammatical errors, misspellings and other errors in syntax that any speech writer worth their grain in salt would never allow to be released to the public.
Well done OBA – you allowed her to show how truly out of her depth she is – congrats.
Q
Why does it matter who writes these things?
@ Mike Hind…..you can’t be serious.
Why not?
Speechwriters are common EVERYWHERE in the world. Big countries, small ones, cities, towns… everywhere there are politicians.
Why is it suddenly not ok to have one now?
Care to answer that?
@ Mike Hind……that’s part of the problem because others do it doesn’t mean it should be done. I don’t care where or who it is. When reading something like this, I want to be reading something that Mrs. Outerterbridge is thinking on the situation, not something has told her to say. It’s called leadership. We want leaders, not followers because every one else is doing to.
Ok. I’m pretty sure, based on this post, that you don’t understand what a speechwriter does…
I understand completely.
I really don’t think so.
You seem to be of the belief that speech writers tell politicians what to say and “borders on plagiarism”. They don’t and it doesn’t.
5 months later! LMFAO
@jim bob it’s ppl like u mofos that young ppl don’t care about this country nor the future of it and only live for the moment. Your so quick to criticize and pull a youn person down who is trying to do better. Keep ya negative comments to ya self n maybe bermuda will be a better place. Like I was taught in school if u don’t have nothing positive to say don’t comment. Negativity kills
Have some rerspect for yourself and don’t call yourself Young*****. I don’t care what color you are neither. It’s not ok be you black or white! Respect yoself before you wreck yoself!!
I am younger than her so perhaps you should be saying “young people like me don’t care what the puppet has to say.” Dance puppets dance.
@mike hind, it matters who wrote the article because I would like our elected government officials, from both parties, to be smart, eloquent and articulate so that they can stop hiding behind speech writers. Anyone can be an MP if they are always being told what to say and how to act which is what seems to be happening with the OBA
lemme break it down for a dumb young mind like yourself….EVERY POLITICAL FIGURE IN THE WORLD MORE OR LESS HAS SPEECH WRITERS!!! WHAT DOES IT MATTER?!
That’s ridiculous.
“Hiding behind speech writers”?
Are you REALLY that politically naive and ignorant of how things ACTUALLY work?
You sound like the “Obama sucks ‘cuz he uses a teleprompter” folks.
Speechwriters don’t tell people what to do and say, they write speeches. That’s it. This whole thing is just so ridiculous.
@Mike Hind…….what’s ridiculous is that peole like yourself continue defend this action. It borders on plagiarism.
No. It doesn’t. At all.
Look. I get that you want to denounce the OBA and the Premier any way you can, but this sort of ridiculousness and double-standard just does nothing for your cause.
(And, for the record, asking why it matters isn’t “defending this action”.
‘This action’ doesn’t deed defending. It’s a standard.)
@ Mike Hind, I’m going to rest my case with you here because my wanting to denounce the OBA and the Premier couldn’t be further from the truth.
And, it wasn’t the question of “what difference does it make who wrote the speech” that I was saying was defending this action. Something, somewhere went right ver your head.
Then what part of my post was defending the action? Pointing out that it’s a standard thing to do? Again, not defending, just pointing out a fact.
Don’t rest your case, explain! If I’m missing something, point it out.
That’s how conversations work.
Why would this article say “written by Nadni Davis” the OBA must really think that Bermudians are stupid!
@ Jim bob, you are right; it was written by Nandi OUTERBRIDGE. Duhhhhhhhhh!
Spoken (**written) like a true MP who is not from the east.
Nandi–these idiots were complaining that they never hear from you, so now you’re showing them that you’re actually doing you’re job, and they STILL complain!! Ignore their stupidness!! Imagine how much money Bermuda would save if the clinic closed…..too bad their little brains just can’t get it…
Imagine how much money Bermuda would save if we didn’t have to pay all these jokers $100,000 a year !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously? The PLPs biggest mouthpiece on here is going on a “Financial Responsibility” tack?
Seriously?
Um bigger than Betty Trump and Lavern, what an honor.
Interesting that you don’t address the point…
Actually, $54,000.00 in her case, but for once your are on the right track – nine parishes, nine MPs and get rid of the Senate would go a long way to getting rid of the Parasite Class.
She speaks OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Shes ALIVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
or should we say someone else speaks FOR her and def not on her behalf
Good to hear from you Nandi, if it is indeed you we are hearing and not just Nandi by proxy.
If I may be so bold, I hope this is an evolved Nandi, who has taken some time to reflect and is willing to be more careful with her public image.
Please use this as your springboard towards a solid, reliable reputation, so that you may look forward to a successful career in politics that may last longer than just the next election.
You got in – this is your chance. Please make the most of it for your own sake. Reputations are hard to build and easy to self-destruct.
You people are funny. Maybe she wrote it, maybe she didn’t. But if it’s the latter then let’s not kid ourselves that it would be a first. Consider this:
Ever notice how every press release ‘signed by’ W. Furbert and Z. Desilva sound very similar in tone, syntax and word choice? And sound very different to the way in which both those men speak?
Then compare those press releases to the manner of speech of a certain opposition MP who speaks on financial matters. Put 2 and 2 together, it’s not hard.
So how come she can write on op-ed (presumably) but when this was the hot topic she had nothing to say? All she done was hold the megaphone.
Where are the recordings?
Where’s your brain?!
Where was her brain ?
But as usual just like Jet Gate and de G.P. License Gate it gets played down.
I would like to hear her speak for once. Rather than letters that aren’t written by her.
OMG….I’m speechless. very transparent! very obvious! very generic! at least Kenny’s authentic approach is not tempered with like this! Smart guy, only speaks live and direct into the mic.
People can stage write for those that don’t know what that means I will explain it to you, it means you can put some of your words to something already written or being written by another to make it look like it is yours… Not saying she did it but hey anything is possible these days.
Either way do what you have to do Nandi people will talk regardless so why should it matter what anyone thinks.
Anyone care to discuss the topic? Just a thought.
Feel free. No one is stopping you.
Hope the premier doesn’t have to write a speech lol!