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Ministry of Health Restructures

by Bennette Roach

As reported last week Senior Health Programme Manager Dr. Tim Carter has completed a Health Reorganization Programme, part of recommendations by Britain’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Kenneth Calman during a visit in September.

The program recommends the employment of a Chief Medical Officer who will be responsible for primary health care and a health manager who will be in charge of secondary health care.

Minister of Health the Hon. Adelina Tuitt says the split in duties will give both officers the opportunity "to give 100 percent performance." Mrs. Tuitt announced that the theater service will be strengthened with the addition of two more nurses, and the employment of a surgeon. This means that patients will no longer need to travel to neighbouring islands such as St. Kitts and Guadeloupe for critical health care.

However Mrs.Tuitt says the health care system on the island continues to be affected by problems such as the "loss of nurses and the inability to attract the type of doctors needed." However she says the government will ensure that proper health care is provided for those Montserratians who have remained.

On 29th January, 1998 the Government of Montserrat approved plans for the reorganisation of the health service. The plan requires that:

i. a Chief Medical Officer/Director of Primary Health Care be appointed to be responsible for the overall daily management of the health services;

ii. a Secondary Care Manager be appointed to manage the hospital services;

iii. Primary Health Care, Secondary Health Care, Clinical Services and Emergency Planning Programmes proposed by the Health Department in January, 1998 be adopted as the basis for health care development over the next two years;

iv. amendments to the staffing requirements outlined in the KPMG Report of 30th September, 1997, be accepted as the official established staffing requirement for the Ministry of Health & Community Services;

v. reports on the health needs and the health activities should be made to Executive Council every quarter and to the general public annually.

The plan further promotes the concept of a single Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Education, Health & Community Services.

British Government, health professionals and the general public have for some time expressed their dissatisfaction with the operation and management of the health services. The current health conditions have also been exacerbated by the prolonged volcanic crisis. The relocation of the hospital into a rather cramped school building for over two years and the gradual depletion of health professionals due to migration have created an acute need for better health facilities and a reorganisation of the services provided. Also, the fact that the population has dropped from approximately 10,000 in 1995 to under 4,000 in 1998, coupled with the loss of many of our younger population and the higher proportion of the elderly and special need cases in the population (over 5%) have changed the population profile of the island and hence the health needs.

Several attempts have been made in the past to define a more effective and coherent way forward but these attempts have been unsuccessful. There have been many permutations discussed on the type of structure that would be most suitable for delivering health care on island and therefore, the structure that is now accepted cannot be considered original nor can it by itself guarantee success. It will require skilful and committed management, adequate staff numbers with the skills needed, effective standards, proper procedures and appropriate information systems to achieve the level of service envisaged.

The main strengths of the management structure chosen are, that it gives the professional head (CMO) greater authority in line with his responsibilities under the law and to assist him in implementing approved policy, objectives and also it groups together similar or complementary functions for easier management. For instance, Primary or Community Health Care will bring together services such as District Nursing, Environmental Health and Health Education.

These strengths provide management with an opportunity to cut out inefficiencies within the system and to encourage greater collaboration and team work. Below is the top level of the management structure within the Ministry of Health & Community Services:

Body of Missing Man Found Near Bunkum Bay

by Bennette Roach

Nigel Emanuel Whyte, alias "Money", of Delvins, who was reported missing by friends on Monday around 7.30 p.m., was found dead Tuesday when police spotted his body between Woodlands Beach and Bunkum Bay.

The 24-year-old man had last been seen walking towards Bunkum Bay in Woodlands shortly before 9a.m. on Sunday.

Police launched a search for the missing man and Tuesday in mid-afternoon his body was spotted from the police launch. Police said the body was partially hanging over a cliff above the sea shore between Woodlands Beach and Bunkum Bay, with approximately four feet of rope around its neck, tied and suspended from a tree branch. It was reported that when Whyte was found, his head had been shaved of the ‘locks’ he was known to carry and that some hair was found on the beach below where his body was found. The area where he was found is wooded right out to the edge of the cliff, (as seen in the photograph shown here.)

Police confirm that Whyte was deported from the U.S.A., where he had faced drug charges, arriving in Montserrat on 20 Sept., 1994. Whyte had several run-ins with the law since his return to Montserrat. In 1995 he was charged with but acquitted of murdering one of his friends.

Whyte was reported to have been receiving medical attention for a swollen jaw from teeth problems, which he had complained was quite painful. His friends said that the pain had been so severe that sometimes he did not speak coherently.

Although appearances suggest that Whyte caused his own death, police say that they are approaching the matter openly and are still investigating details surrounding the death.

Before his body was released to the undertakers, it was viewed on location over the edge of the cliff by the coroner, the director of Health Services and at least one other medical officer, along with the police. An official cause of death has not yet been announced, but police told The Reporter, more details will be released as soon as a pathologist could be flown in for an autopsy.

In July/August of 1996, DFID (then ODA) agreed that it would assist the small businessmen in Montserrat, following the total losses that most of them experienced from the onset of the volcanic crisis. It was recognised that this sector’s existence is crucial to any kind of economy at any stage.

There is the old saying, ‘better late than never’, and so DFID even though it has taken them the better part of two years to come through deserve to be congratulated for the active expression of their commitment to the future development of Montserrat.

Officials at the Aid Management Office here, who carry out DFID’s programs here, said this week: "We are just going through the final stages to pass the money across."

The news was well received last week by the management at the National Development Foundation, and Mrs. Roselyn Cassell-Sealy, Executive Director of the Foundation, spared no time in recalling and thanking the players, including the AMO, in bringing the project to the ground and reality.

The AMO notes that the main idea for the funds is to "provide new building for businesses, a line of credit for on-lending and money for training."

Why did the project took so long? The answer may well lie in the British Government’s hesitancy to accept that any part of the island is safe enough to guarantee any investment that might go up in smoke, if the volcano proves the scientists wrong when they say that the north is ‘relatively safe.’

Any good business management will agree with this action, but it will always make for bad blood between friends and partners, parents and children, if there is no truthful dialogue.

That, of course, holds good not only for the British in their dealings with us, but for the local administration as well. There is a deep-rooted ignorance among our public servants that believes the everything done in government should be is secret. There is the belief that the public must wait and follow instructions as given and need not be involved in the matters that affect them.

It is not too late for a good effort to be made to change this attitude, which incidentally is not only prevalent among public servants but almost as a general rule throughout service businesses.

This is only one of the many problems facing our ravaged island today, but we must begin to tackle them one by one, until we can feel that we are for real, and that the resilience and fortitude for which we are praised ever so often can be meaningful.

UWI Vice Principal's Visit Marks Another Golden Jubilee Event

By Bennette Roach

On Wednesday, 4th March, Dr. Howard Fergus, resident tutor of the University of the West Indies (UWI), joined Professor Ralph Carnegie, deputy principal at the Cave Hill Campus, Barbados of UWI, in a press conference. The professor was visiting Montserrat as part of the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the University.

ZJB’s Rose Willock introduced Dr. Fergus as the lead person in coordinating local activities for the 50th anniversary of UWI and asked him how the activities marking the occasion in Montserrat were shaping up.

Dr. Fergus responded that Montserrat is actually celebrating the 50th anniversary with considerable success, "if I may say so, given the situation we are in a volcanic crisis. The first activity was a church service, which was very well attended and very sharply focused. The feedback we have had is that it was a successful event. Again, the Run, UWI, Run event, the taking of the torch symbolizing the light which is always a symbol of education and learning was, in our view, a very successful event as well."

Dr. Fergus then pointed out that "This visit by a senior official in the person of Prof. Carnegie is perhaps the third of the activities that we have celebrated in Montserrat"

He went on that they were proud "not in an arrogant sense, the visit to the country of a senior administrator of the university will be a successful event in that people will become even more aware of the university and aware of the fact that notwithstanding we are on the periphery, so to speak, where in a non-campus country, we are perceived as a territory, as a supporter of the university, as a beneficiary of the university, as important to the whole functioning of the university, and the anniversary proceedings.

According to Dr. Fergus, UWI serves and belongs to some 14 governments. He said that the resident tutors in the territories had been very instrumental in the success of the Run, UWI, Run activity. As a result they had been invited to Jamaica to witness the last leg of the torch, which he will attend this coming Saturday.

Prof. Carnegie was questioned about his role and the activities for the full program of celebrations. He said: "The range of activities that we have in progress is so full in a sense that a comprehensive briefing might take more time than we have available, because we have activities in every country of the contributing countries of the Caribbean."

The activities in the various territories are not all the same, the professor noted, "there are different activities, because naturally we rely on the persons in the territories, for instance, such as our resident tutors, to indicate to us what will meet the needs of the particular country."

He said also that there were still to be public lectures in all the countries; and that special seminars, conferences are scheduled as well. "The whole year is being regarded as our 50th anniversary year, and there is more to come and more to see." He added that there was also a cricket match between the Vice Chancellor’s 11 and the touring England team, which will take place in Barbados as part of the celebration.

Professor Carnegie said he was excited over the welcome he received and to learn of the success of the celebrations so far. "It is, of course, very heartening to hear of the success of the 50th anniversary visit and I am glad to be playing my part in that process_ It’s been a great pleasure that on this occasion I’ve been able to meet so many graduates of the university in Montserrat. Of course, our graduates are our most signal exemplars of the success of the work that we have been doing in the past.

Pointing out that this was not his first trip since the crisis began and that he has been briefed continually about the crisis, he expressed his feelings. "Like everywhere else in the region, our hearts go out to Montserrat in this time of crisis."

He was briefly questioned about the ‘distant learning program which seemed to be enjoying some success, but pointed out: "We have been considering the distance program of education for more than 20 odd years at the university. However, the action on it has been more recent, because one of the features is, of course, that technology has developed. What is now possible would not have been so possible 20 years ago, but an operation responsible for delivering both campus education and education in the distance mode, the new takes time to implement, but progress is continuing."

As to the economy of the program, which is beneficially economical to the students, the professor offered, though he was not in a good position to give the facts: "We have had to make a very heavy investment to lay the groundwork for the new system of distance education. A lot of this investment, of course, has come from donor funding, but the investment in technology, for example, was obviously a major exercise, even though technological costs have been dropping. We have had to put on pilot programs to prepare the ground for distance education. So there is a lot of spade work, a lot of exercise ...that brought it within reach."

The vice principal spoke of the initiatives and new structures and upgrades of the university. He said that at approximate intervals of every five years, there was a review of the work of the teaching department "We are conscious these days that the university is in a new era in which it must keep up with the state of the art in all areas of its activity, including that of teaching. We have always been conscious of this. What you will find is that we have been refining the mechanisms which we use to deal with this," he said.

During his visit to the island, he was entertained at a party reportedly put on by the graduates under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, and before he left he took a helicopter tour of the volcano destroyed southern half of the island.

He also visited the UWI Office in Manjack, the Montserrat Secondary School and the teleconferencing facility at Cable and Wireless.

Minister Tuitt Shares Concern for CXC Students

Minister of Education the Honorable Mrs. Adelina Tuitt, before leaving for London this week to attend the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s seminars, predicted that students performance in the overseas exams may drop this year.

Mrs. Tuitt said her comments were based on problems that are being experienced with children and parents. She appealed to parents to give more support to the children.

"I think the children need a lot of support by the parents under these conditions. We are not going through normal times. Some of them might be studying from shelters; some of them might be studying from overcrowded homes and if they don’t get support from home we don’t have enough time to give what is necessary at school. Home work is essential," Minister Tuitt said.

The MVO Regulates Visits

The Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) has reacted to the increasing numbers of visits to their facilities at Mongo Hill.

Mr. Ritchie Robertson, departing chief scientist said, "these visits have become even more frequent and unscheduled. They have resulted in disruption of scheduled work and have required scientists to take time out of their busy schedules to undertake guided tours."

Mr. Robertson pointed out that the MVO does not presently have the manpower to cope indefinitely with the "large influx of unscheduled visitors to the Observatory."

The MVO, whose commitment is to educate the public about volcanic hazards and volcano monitoring techniques, has in the past maintained an ‘open door’ policy, giving guided tours and short lectures on the status of the volcano. The MVO is prepared to continue its commitment but wishes to do so under a more scheduled arrangement.

The chief scientists announced that visitors will be "accommodated only during the period 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday." He announced also that guided tours can be arranged for groups, and in fact, he recommends that groups call to make arrangements for their visits.

Hospital Project Gains Momentum

Upgrading the former St. Johns Primary School into a proper hospital has this week entered its second phrase. The £1 million project is scheduled to be completed in August.

"The new extension and refurbishment will leave the building with four main wards. Obstretics, pediatric, a male ward and a female ward. In addition to that we are adding a delivery room and a quiet facility and isolation wards along with a number of showers and toilets and ancillary rooms to support the main wards," says Melvin Tebutt, construction manager.

He said the construction will be undertaken by Galloways Construction Company, along with several sub-contractors.

News from the nursing staff indicate that they have settled in quite comfortably in their temporary quarters in several metal buildings below the school. The transfer was made with the help of the Royal Montserrat Defence Force.

Commenting on the conditions of the new location, Miss Valerie Lewis said they are quite comfortable. "The working environment is much better. We have fans, adequate lighting, and toilet facilities are much improved. The nurses, cleaners and patients find it better to work in," the Principal Nurse told reporters.

Cable & Wireless Regional Director Visits

Cable & Wireless Regional Managing Director, Nick Koumarianos visited Montserrat on Friday, 27th February, to familiarize himself with staff and management and to get a first hand look at how the Business Unit is coping during the volcanic crisis.

During his visit, Mr. Koumarianos paid a courtesy call on H. E. Governor Anthony Abbott and had a luncheon meeting with Chief Minister David Brandt and Minister of Communications and Works Mr. Rupert Weekes to discuss ways in which Cable & Wireless can further assist the Montserrat government throughout the on-going crisis.

Cable & Wireless has agreed to donate computer equipment, software, computer training aid, i.e. television, VCR, workbooks, to the Montserrat Secondary School to assist the Ministry of Education with its computer education programme. Plans are underway to provide a networking environment for the computers, as well as printers, with free Internet access.

Since the onset of the volcano crisis, Cable & Wireless has worked in tandem with the Montserrat government and community by:

1. Donating EC$200,000 from the Hurricane Relief Fund to the construction of the Golden Years Home for the Elderly.

2. Donating EC$250,000 to the Government of Montserrat to assist families who lost their homes in the June 25 eruption.

3. Sponsoring a low-interest loan (£50,000 sterling) for the National Development Foundation to spur local business growth.

Mr. Koumarianos also paid a visit to the site of the Golden Years Home for the Elderly to witness the progress achieved over the last few months.

Cable & Wireless employees had an opportunity to chat with their Managing Director and share how they are coping with the crisis.

East Caribbean Institute of Bank Established

The goal of the Eastern Caribbean Institute of Banking (ECIB), which was formally set up in Montserrat this week, is to train "all the staff who work in commercial banks and related financial institutions."

"We see the bank community as a professional community. The staff are professional and we are promoting their education and making them more professional," Chief Executive Officer of ECIB, Sydney Maynard said.

Maynard was on island on Monday to witness the launching of the institution.

Miss Valerie Daley from the Bank of Montserrat heads the local ECIB on Montserrat. Other members include Karen West, of the St. Patrick Credit Union and Mrs. Roselyn Cassell-Sealy from the National Development Foundation.

L to R:  Mrs. Roselyn Cassell-Sealy, Miss Karen West, & Miss Valerie Daley

Mrs. Cassell-Sealy told reporters that a major part of ECIB is training. "Our role is coordinating the Education program. We will be ensuring that individuals that are involved in the financial institutions become professionals. Not only in terms of serving their own financial institutions but also ensuring that public get professional service. I think that this is a timely institution to be launched on Montserrat, especially in the crisis we are facing and the impact that it has had on the financial sector," Cassell-Sealy said.

Manger of the Bank of Montserrat Ltd., Gregory de Gannes also feels that the ECIB will do wonders for the banking and financial community.

"The institute is not only looking to facilitate the local students who are now studying for the overseas exams, but one of the main objectives of the institute is to have our own certification within the region, because we will tailor the courses to suit our own indigenous needs within the region.

"That is very much the agenda of the institute. The University of the West Indies will be working very closely with us so that they could help us with the accreditation. One of the biggest objectives and ambitions that we have here locally is that every member of the financial sector will become qualified," de Gannnes said.

He emphasized that the institute is not necessarily looking for workers to get MBAs, but people to take courses that are related to the job and over time become fully qualified.

"The focus is to have people who are trained and be able to stand on their feet. People who can make decisions because they understand the science behind banking and finance," he added.

British Red Cross to Visit

Mrs. Elspeth Thomas, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, British Red Cross Society and Mr. David Alexander, Head of International Aid Department will visit Montserrat from March 9 - 10, en route to a British Red Cross Society (BRCS) Branches/Committee Meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, which begins on March 11.

The Meeting will focus on the future status of the Overseas Branches and Committees and the relationship with the BRCS. Directors of the six dependent territories will be the delegates at this Workshop and Mrs. Lystra Osborne, Director of the local Branch, will be the representative from Montserrat.

Following this Workshop, which will be hosted by the Caribbean Red Cross Delegation, the Summit of all Caribbean Red Cross Presidents will review issues facing the Red Cross in the region, with special focus on marketing and funding activities and the establishment of the Caribbean Disaster/Development fund.

Mrs. Thomas and Mr. Alexander have a full itinerary for their visit to Montserrat. Visits are scheduled to the St. Peter’s Shelter, Cavalla Hill Shelter and the Golden Years Home for the Elderly at Brades as well as to the site of a new children’s play ground which the Red Cross hopes to erect at Lookout.

A meeting with First Aiders, volunteers and the Montserrat Red Cross Advisory Council will be held on Monday evening, 9th March, prior to a reception at which Mrs. Thomas and Mr. Alexander will meet many of those associated with the Red Cross.

Grenada, CANA - The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is launching diplomatic offensive against a European Union (EU) proposal in dealing with former colonies. Jamaica’s Prime Minister Percival Patterson said this week that the offensive includes high-level ministerial and diplomatic visits to European and African capitals.

At the core of the EU’s draft document for negotiations on a new Lome Convention on future economic relations with these countries are provisions dictating on human rights and governance.

Florida, CANA - Pope John Paul’s recent visit to the Caribbean island of Cuba and coverage of the poverty there has prompted an outpouring of queries about humanitarian aid.

Those involved in aid programmes say that since the visit religious zeal could overcome the trepidation people may have had about helping Cubans.

"Most people were certainly appalled at the difficult living conditions," said Bishop Thomas Wenski, Auxiliary Bishop of Miami.

American Airlines to Cut Staff, Close Crew Base in San Juan

Puerto Rico — American Airlines announced that it will close its San Juan flight attendant crew base May 1, and cut 150 people from its ground services staff at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport here by April 17.

The base closing will affect 202 flight attendants, all of whom will be offered positions at other crew bases elsewhere in American’s route system. The airline will pay for their moving expenses as part of a relocation package.

The reductions at the airport will affect 150 employees. Most will be fleet service clerks who handle baggage and perform a variety of other functions in American’s operations. Some mechanics and ticket agents also will be affected.

After the cutbacks, American and its regional airline affiliate, American Eagle, will still have a combined total of 2,094 employees in Puerto Rico, maintaining their position as one of the island’s largest employers.

"The base closing and the cutbacks are steps we take with great regret, but the economics of the highly competitive airline industry leave us with no alternative," said Peter J. Dolara, American’s senior vice president for the region.

Under the changes, American will reduce its jet schedule at San Juan to 38 flights a day, from 50. The airline will reduce its jet service to one flight a day between San Juan and Aruba and San Juan and St. Maarten. It will discontinue jet operations between San Juan and Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, St. Croix and St. Lucia.

However, American Eagle, American’s regional airline partner, will increase service between San Juan and five of the islands — Antigua, St. Croix, St. Lucia, St. Maarten and Barbados.

Despite the changes, San Juan will remain a major center for American, with nonstop jet service to 17 mainland and Caribbean destinations and American Eagle service to 21 points.

American and American Eagle together will offer a total of 115 flights a day at San Juan, and American will offer daily nonstop flights between San Juan and eight mainland points — Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Hartford, Miami, New York JFK, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Tampa, and Washington Dulles.

Puerto Rico Narrowly Gets Nod for Self-determination

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly passed legislation that would grant self-determination to Puerto Rico for the first time since the island was taken over by the United States a century ago.

The bipartisan bill would allow Puerto Ricans to vote in a plebiscite by year-end on whether they want to become the 51st U.S. state, an independent nation or continue their present status as a U.S. commonwealth.

It was passed by just 209-208 votes after 12 hours of heated debate.

U.S. President Bill Clinton called the House action a "victory for democracy and against exclusion."

"The bill does not impose onerous, unworkable, unprecedented, or unconstitutional language requirements on the citizens of Puerto Rico, unlike some proposals that were advanced in Congress," he said in a statement released by the White House shortly after the vote.

The Clinton administration backed the bill, but the initiative is not expected to advance in the Senate this year.

The former Spanish colony became a U.S. possession after the 1898 Spanish-American War. As a commonwealth, Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens but cannot vote in U.S. elections. They are represented in the U.S. Congress by a nonvoting delegate.

Under its provisions, if a majority of Puerto Ricans vote for statehood or for independence, the president must submit to Congress a plan for a 10-year transition.

Congress gets the final word on admitting Puerto Rico as a new state and must approve the transition plan.

Puerto Ricans themselves are sharply divided on the issue, though support for statehood has grown in recent years among the island’s 3.8 million inhabitants.

In a non-binding plebiscite held in 1993, 48.6 percent of Puerto Ricans voted to remain a commonwealth, 46.3 percent favored statehood and only 4.4 percent voted for independence.

Puerto Ricans do not pay U.S. taxes and get billions of dollars in federal transfers each year under their current commonwealth status. They also enjoy competing under their own flag in the Olympics and international beauty contests.

But fear of losing U.S. citizenship is a major concern.

"We are one of the last colonies in the world and we want the right to become the 51st U.S. state, with equal rights," said Puerto Rican-born Nestor Vasquez during a demonstration for statehood outside Congress.

"U.S. citizenship is important for us and we want to guarantee that," he said.

Meanwhile Puerto Rico’s Governor, Pedro Rossello, flew into Barbados on Wednesday, promising better regional representation in Washington if his island becomes an American state. Against a backdrop of the United States Congress debate on the bill to give Puerto Ricans a vote on what type of relationship it wants with the US, Rossello made a pitch for his island becoming an American state in the interest of the Caribbean. "If Puerto Rico were to become the (U.S.) 51st state then, ... you would get a partner, the partner would be the same, we would have the same interest, but the partner would have more powers to act upon what we identify as the needs and the aspirations of the Caribbean people."

The above article was combined from a Reuters Report by Anthony Boadle and a CANA report.

St. Lucia Inquiry May Go to Privy Council

St Lucia, CANA - St Lucia’s government will know tomorrow if its court application for leave to take to the Privy Council matters concerning a stalled commission of inquiry into the conduct of previous administrations.

The inquiry was appointed to look into alleged wrongdoings of governments led by former Prime Ministers Sir John Compton and Dr Vaughn Lewis, but they have successfully sought a court ruling that the commissioner presiding over that probe could hold bias.

Now the Dr Kenny Anthony government wants to take that court decision examined by London-based Privy Council.

There were also several reports of blocked roads and damage to agriculture and infrastructure but no fatalities or injuries.

Proposal for Barbados/OECS Ties

Barbados, CANA - A proposal by Barbados for an eastern Caribbean confederation of states is a strategically timely initiative, says David Jessop, executive director of the Caribbean Council for Europe.

In a newspaper article on Wednesday, he said Barbados’ Prime Minister Owen Arthur’s vision, "represents the first high level attempt for many years to try to break out of the strait-jacket of thinking in parts of the Eastern Caribbean that suggests the sub-region can survive by maintaining the economic and political models of the past".

A task force is being established to recommend how a proposal by Arthur to deepen integration between Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) can be implemented.

FEAUTURES

Health & Happiness

This Simple Technique Will Free Your Breasts of Cancer-Causing Toxins

(Taken from the World wide Journal of Longevity and Health… by David Williams)

We all know someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s a trauma that affects thousands of women and their families each year. And while we can and do offer our support, we must find a way to stop this epidemic.

Unfortunately, the news has gotten much worse over the last 20 years, as breast cancer rates have soared...influenced by carcinogenic exposure to pesticides, solvents and exhaust fumes that are part and parcel of modern life.

And while natural health literature is full of great suggestions to boost your immune system through dietary change and vitamin supplements, little has been suggested-until now--to help your body cleanse itself of the root-cause pollutants.

Recently I visited Nice, France, and spoke with noted medical professor Dr. Timothy Murrell about breakthrough research in breast cancer prevention.

Dr. Murrell has documented that regular nipple stimulation--during sex or self-examination--triggers release of a natural compound called oxytocin that cleanses your breasts of accumulated toxins like DDT, PCBs, dioxin and heavy metals. As you’ll see, you can activate your own internal defense system in just a few minutes a day and wash away much of the environmental risk that causes many breast cancers.

1. At bedtime, lie down and raise your right arm over your head, allowing it to rest on the bed. Then gently stimulate your right nipple by rubbing or squeezing it for a couple of minutes with your left hand. This activity will promote lymphatic drainage throughout the breast.

2. Next, gently grasp the lower portion of the breast and slightly "pump" the tissue, gradually moving higher into the armpit area.

3. Once you’ve finished with one breast, repeat the procedure for the other. That’s all it takes--3 to 4 minutes on each side--for lymphatic protection that could be priceless.

This is but one small sample of the practical, down-to-earth advice you’ll find each month in Alternatives. I give you a wide variety of tools to help you stay well, recover from illness and help you and your loved ones enjoy lives in glowing good health.

To start, please make this therapy a regular part of your personal care. It’s easy, it takes little time and women tell me it’s quite relaxing, as well. Read more about Dr. Murrell’s life-enhancing breast massage in your free copy of The Real Miracles of Natural Healing. And then discover more, including:

• New evidence that the vitamin CoQ10 can help reverse breast cancer.

• How lengthening the time between menstrual cycles can reduce breast cancer risk.

• The link between melatonin and your internal breast cancer defense system.

• A simple muffin recipe--yes, muffins--that can help guard against breast cancer.

Tourism Corner

The first Irish settlers came to Montserrat around 1632. Victims of religious persecution, they had left Ireland and found it difficult to settle in the places to which they had originally fled, such as St. Kitts and Virginia. They were mainly Roman Catholics and the observance of the feast of the Patron Saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, was important to them.

It was this celebration on March 17, 1768 that provided the backdrop for a planned uprising of enslaved Africans. Knowing that their masters would be less vigilant on that day, they formed a plan. The house slaves would collect the swords of guests gathered to celebrate at one of the plantation houses and, at a given signal, those on the outside would attack. The plot was disclosed by one of the slaves and the leaders were summarily tried and hanged: St. Patrick’s Day has been a public holiday on Montserrat for years now. Are we celebrating a failed attempt to snatch freedom? Certainly not. What we continue to celebrate is the outstanding courage of our ancestors in the face of overwhelming difficulties and against all odds. The freedoms we enjoy today and very often take for granted, have been won over the years, because men and women of vision have been inspired by the memory of what our forebears tried to do so long ago. But we cannot dismiss the Irish connection in all of this. It was, after all, the celebration of the feast of St. Patricks that makes March 17th significant in our own history.

Activities for this year are being planned for March 13 - 17, and would include:

• #2 Hardnose Domino Tournament

• St. Patrick’s Day Quiz- all children 8-12 years old are eligible to participate

• Group Therapy sessions (especially being organized for the villagers of St. Patrick’s)

• Freedom Run

• Hiking

• Video presentation for children (Lord of the Dance; River Dance)

• Leprechaun night (wear something Green).

MONTSERRAT 100,000 WELCOMES

Reorganisation of the Health Service

On 29th January, 1998 the Government of Montserrat approved plans for the reorganisation of the health service. The plan requires that:

1. a Chief Medical Officer/Director of Primary Health Care be appointed to be responsible for the overall daily management of the health services;
2. a Secondary Care Manager be appointed to manage the hospital services;
3. Primary Health Care, Secondary Health Care, Clinical Services and Emergency Planning Programmes proposed by the Health Department in January, 1998 be adopted as the basis for health care development over the next two years;
4. amendments to the staffing requirements outlined in the KPMG Report of 30th September, 1997, be accepted as the official established staffing requirement for the Ministry of Health & Community Services;
5. reports on the health needs and the health activities should be made to Executive Council every quarter and to the general public annually.

The plan further promotes the concept of a single Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Education, Health & Community Services as can be seen from the Organisation Chart.

The Government of Montserrat, the British Government, health professionals and the general public have for some time expressed their dissatisfaction with the operation and management of the health services. The current health conditions have also been exacerbated by the prolonged volcanic crisis. The relocation of the hospital into a rather cramped school building for over two years and the gradual depletion of health professionals due to migration have created an acute need for better health facilities and a reorganisation of the services provided.

Also, the fact that the population has dropped from approximately 10,000 in 1995 to under 4,000 in 1998, coupled with the loss of many of our younger population and the higher proportion of the elderly and special need cases in the population (over 5%) have changed the population profile of the island and hence the health needs.

Several attempts have been made in the past to define a more effective and coherent way forward but these attempts have been unsuccessful. There have been many permutations discussed on the type of structure that would be most suitable for delivering health care on island and therefore, the structure that is now accepted cannot be considered original nor can it by itself guarantee success. It will require skilful and committed management, adequate staff numbers with the skills needed, effective standards, proper procedures and appropriate information systems to achieve the level of service envisaged.

The main strengths of the management structure chosen are, that it gives the professional head (CMO) greater authority in line with his responsibilities under the law and to assist him in implementing approved policy, objectives and also it groups together similar or complementary functions for easier management. For instance, Primary or Community Health Care will bring together services such as District Nursing, Environmental Health and Health Education.

These strengths provide management with an opportunity to cut out inefficiencies within the system and to encourage greater collaboration and team work. Below is the top level of the management structure within the Ministry of Health & Community Services:

This reorganisation effort will see a reduction in staff establishment from one hundred and twenty four (124) to eighty eight (88) in health excluding the seven (7) established posts in the Community Services Department. The approved nominal roll now, appears as follows:

Fortunately, the reductions in staff will not require retrenchment of current staff because many positions were not refilled when the substantive holders vacated these posts. In addition, there is some scope for reallocation of staff within the Ministry if this is required.

The Ministry of Health & Community Services wishes to thank all its staff, the various consultants, related government departments and the general public for the contributions they have made to this process and their tolerance throughout this challenging period of our development. There is a motto some where which says, "He who dares, wins". I believe this to be true for all those of you who face and accept the challenges of this moment and we at the Ministry of Health & Community Services hope that we will be able to support your efforts effectively by providing improved health care.

John R S Skerritt

Permanent Secretary

HEALTH & COMMUNITY SERVICES

JUS’ WONDERIN’

Jus wonderin whether the sudden return of the roadside aroma of hot bitumen means the hot-mix plant is about to go into full production.

Jus wonderin what the phrase "will be put to sleep" means in the Ministry of Agriculture warning to owners of unrestrained dogs found killing livestock.

Jus wonderin if Gov. Abbott truly wishes he had been at that meeting for Area 3 residents in St. Augustine School.

Jus wonderin whether the new delay in the soft-loan mortgage scheme has anything to do with the difference between the agreed no-interest at the start of the loan and Britain’s preference for interest from the start of the loan.

Jus wonderin if the Mellow Madness show on ZJB will be renamed Lady Love Madness.

Jus wonderin why the Indian supermarkets don’t have any toilets.

Jus wonderin whether the police launch never found the Montserratian who disappeared weeks ago in a small boat at Little Bay because he was not a wanted man.

Jus wonderin how long will be the better life promised for a 105-year-old relocated to England.

Jus wonderin where Lady-love was when the DJ was calling for her.

Correction

In the separate story dealing with the leaflet alone, those critical remarks were correctly attributed to Member for Gloucester Tess Kingham.

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