Dear Editor,
Please allow me space in your paper to tell of the kind of medical care that we Sabans are getting here on Saba and the heartless doctors that we have to deal with.
My name is Beatrlx Zagers, I am not going to hide behind any false name, because what I am saying is the truth. I fell 16 weeks ago, I was in torture and the doctors knew it. Neither injections nor tablets helped my pain. I was X-rayed on Saba with a machine that doesn't work anymore; when an X-ray machine can't show a broken bone that means that it should be replaced with a new one. I asked both doctors if they could send me to do an MRI or a CT scan and both refused to do so.
I then decided to go at my own expense and find out what my problem was, but they must have heard about my plan and then it was decided to send me via the Health Care.
And guess what! I have fractures and pinched nerves. This is not the first time that I have been neglected by the doctors as six years ago I needed a thyroidectomy and all that I heard was, you have to wait. I then made my appointment with an endocrinologist in Puerto Rico, went and had my problem taken care of within one week, but of course it was at my own expense. I am a person who seldom ever visits the clinic on Saba, only when it is serious illness and that is the kind of care that I get. We the people of Saba are left to deal with one doctor most of the time, while our population has grown tremendously. We need at least three doctors in order for us to get the care we need. Lack of interest for sick people is so thick that you can cut it with a knife. All you hear is that you are old. I must say that I feel that what Geert Wilders said about the BES Islands many other Dutch people think the same, there is no respect for us. Before I end, I want to thank Nurse Naomi and those who transported me around in the car and wheelchair here on Saba and a thank you to the workers of Accessible Ventures in St. Maarten. Their kindness is greatly appreciated.
Beatrlx Zagers, Saba
