Published 6 June 2017
Violent Crime Taking A Toll On The Health Services, Says Former CMO
St Kitts and Nevis (WINN): Violent crime is costing the federation not only in terms of the trauma and tears accompanying the mourning of loved ones, former Chief Medical Officer Dr Patrick Martin is advising.
He is expressing concern that the killings in the federation are having a real financial cost on the health services.
There have been thirteen homicides so far halfway through the year including a double homicide in St Kitts Saturday night, and the killing of one woman in Nevis one day earlier.
Dr Martin tells WINN FM that the health services are carrying a heavy financial burden from the effects of violent crime in the country.
“When persons are killed on the spot there’s no work for the health community except for the pathologist, otherwise than that if the person is injured, you have to factor in the work that has to be done by the ambulance service, the emergency room personnel in terms of resuscitation for one or two hours and then mobilizing the operating theatre resources for another two to four maybe six hours of surgery, then possibly either intensive care or surgical ward admission for several days to weeks, you are talking about thousands of dollars, devoted to something that is avoidable. They are resources that should otherwise be directed to improving the health services.”
