Charlestown, Nevis (Tuesday, May 10th, 2016) “The Dialysis Unit rotting away on the grounds of the Alexandra Hospital while Nevisians suffer or have to use their savings to go abroad for care, should hang around the neck of the Minister of Health, Mark Brantley like a noose,” said Mr. Hensley Daniel, Former Minister of Health during the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) led Administration.
Mr. Daniel made the statement during a recent edition of the popular Nevis radio program “Tell Me”.
While Mr. Daniel was Minister of Health, he saw an increasing amount of Nevisians suffering with diabetes and in some cases potential kidney failure. Being visionary, Daniel began to partner with the Nevis Renal Society and the Medical University of the Americas (MUA) who all assisted with attaining a two machine dialysis unit with three- five months dialysis supplies and a network of persons to assist with the administering of the unit to patients.
“Unfortunately the dialysis unit which was fully equipped and resembled the ward of a small clinic came after the Nevis Reformation Party lost the government in January 2013. Today, the unit remains sitting in the hot sun on the hospital grounds just feet away from patients in their hospital bed who are in desperate need of the machine. It is truly a shame that a minister of government could be so hopeless and careless as Nevisians die or have to go abroad for dialysis treatment where they would have to incur additional costs and be away from family and friends at a time when the patient would need the support most,” said Mr. Daniel.
According to the Former Minister of Health, the supplies for the dialysis unit have all expired since the unit was brought to Nevis and have not been in use. Mr. Daniel went on to say that the Minister of Health could have donated the supplies to nearby islands including Antigua, St. Kitts or Anguilla where each of those islands have working units.
“It is unfortunate that Mr. Brantley has been so hypocritical and dodgy when talking and dealing with the Nevisian public in regards to the dialysis unit. At first when the unit arrived on Nevis, Brantley stated two machines would be too costly to the economy of the island in terms of supplies and administering of the machine. A year later, Brantley took a group to Guyana to observe and see about purchasing an additional two machines. Now, if two machines were too expensive wouldn’t four be even more expensive? Well, three years later there are NO working dialysis units for renal failure patients on Nevis and in my opinion, Brantley is taking the Nevisian public for fools and we are not,” said Mr. Daniel.