As the year 2000 dawned, persons around the world wondered what cataclysmic event may occur on planet earth in the course of time. Further, young people in some parts of the “Holy Land” reportedly acted strangely, and out of custom, by engaging in partying and wild public dancing to enjoy themselves just before the perceived end of the world. The fact is that some people actually thought the world was going to end either at the start of, or during, 2000.
But 21 years later, January 2021, dawned like any other day and the world has not yet ended. What has happened is that the New Year has met us wondering what the unknown holds in store for us given, in particular, the threats and ravages of the coronavirus which took the population of our world by storm in March 2020; the world-wide social and economic challenges and other depressing and worrisome circumstances. Ask any deep-thinking person in Anguilla, or anywhere else, what do you expect in 2021 and the blunt answer “me ain’t know” comes back.
Quite honestly, it is a matter of our Christian faith on which we must rely in the first place. Secondly, we must look to those who lead us in our churches and communities for good governance and encouragement; and thirdly, we must look to ourselves for that inner spiritual strength, hope and resilience that will be necessary to help us to overcome and deal with what may come our way, and land us in a safe place.
Thank Heavens, although we have ventured to open our tourism industry, despite the threat of the coronavirus looming over us, there is little or no evidence of community spread. But, if we carelessly slip up in our well-defined protocols, we can find ourselves in a most dangerous situation. We are indeed very grateful to those in the health sector who are trying their best to keep us and themselves safe and the UK Government which, notwithstanding its own difficulties with the worsening pandemic there, and the safety of its citizenry, has continued to assist us with money, healthcare facilities and technical aid in terms of human resources – and has now promised us supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 has left us in Anguilla apprehensive, financially broke, considerably unemployed or underemployed, and largely wearing masks for fear of becoming affected. It is a dire situation all of us must be anxious to see go away, but the uncertainty remains. One of our battles is to ensure that, apart from the virus, we are otherwise in good health. In order for us to be so, we have to take the medications our failing health or ageing process requires us to do. Ordinarily, this does not come cheap – especially when money is a daunting factor.
It is in this sense that there is much public outcry about the increased medical fees the Government and the Health Authority have planned to implement, according to the Executive Council Minutes of December 10, 2020. What is strange, and perhaps unforgiving, is that there have been recent public consultations on various pieces of draft legislation, such as dog and other animal control bills, before passage in the House of Assembly. But, an important matter, like the grossly increased medical fees, affecting the life and wellbeing of our people, was not deemed necessary to bring to their prior attention and for their views.
It has been officially reported that there are debts of up to two million dollars owed by many persons who sought, and obtained, medical services at the hospital. Obviously, this unpaid amount of potential revenue means that the people have no money to pay their debts. If they cannot pay what they owe now, how will they meet the payment of the proposed newly-increased medical fees? Has the Government stopped subsidising the cost of healthcare, in terms of providing medication at affordable prices, for the populace – in particular the elderly and those unable to have insurance policies? In such a circumstance, increasing the fees does not necessarily mean that it will result in the collection of more revenue.
There is a need to calm the fears of our people and to deal swiftly and effectively with any public discord over the fees. This is where proper governance comes into play. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past by imposing certain difficulties on our people without their input. We are painfully aware that our Government has problems of finance and economic development on its hands, and is desperately trying to find a way of escape from its many dilemmas. However, our people are already prisoners of fear and need in one form or another. Let us not add to their distress.
The New Year has just begun and the situation appears to be very gloomy and uncertain. The past year has been a very hard one for many of us and, adding to our woes, we have lost a number of loved ones who cannot be replaced, plus many more are ailing and otherwise marginalised. Let us hope that we will overcome the many challenges that assail us, and may God be with all of us in 2021.
