Wednesday brought about several very interesting intellectual discussions for me, both at work and school. As I've stated before, healthcare in Jamaica is free. Completely free. I mean, everything from annual visits to severe cancer treatment - all covered by the government. Of course, when you really think about it thought, it's not "free"... there's a ~20% tax on everything! And of course, when things are "free," it really only is beneficial when you are able to access it! So I got into a very extensive debate with my economist colleague around whether implementing fees would better the healthcare system (because it would bring in revenue, fund more resources) or worsen it (because it would dissuade people from accessing it). I was told that there are several research papers showing that historically, having fees - however tiny - prevents people from accessing the healthcare system, pretty much destroying the idea of "public" healthcare and reducing attention on those that the system is primarily meant to benefit (the poor). While this is certainly fair, some have argued that fees prevent the system from "wasting" resources, or basically providing care only when its required and not excessively. In Jamaica's case, the country has basically ended up with a mediocre healthcare program that's technically accessible to all... whether that's the optimal structure, well, that's the million dollar question!
In class that night, we focused on the institutions that promote globalization, primarily the IMF (Intl. Monetary Fund) and WB (World Bank). While both were initially designed to boost the economy after World War II, today they focus more on bettering the state of developing countries. We discussed that both seem to promote the same means of reaching a "developed" state - devaluing currency, cutting gov't spending, etc. etc. However, our professor emphasized that what really mattered was how developing countries interpreted these regulatory rules in light of their own situation. For example, in the 70s (I think), both Barbados and Jamaica were asked to float their currency. Jamaica seemingly blindly agreed, and the currency tanked, really hurting the import-dependent nation. Barbados on the other hand pushed back, arguing that their economy couldn't handle that. They remained on a fixed currency and were able to use these "gains" to build up the nation. So what mattered in the end was understanding how these institutions' "rules," which derived from observing developed nations, could practically be applied to developing countries. Interesting paper (recommended by prof) comparing the 2 countries here.
On a side note, I learned during my class break that police forensics are not very big in Jamaica. Apparently my classmate's house was broken into and when she tried to preserve certain objects so the police could collect fingerprints, the cop said she watched too much TV. As another classmate stated, in Jamaica, "DNA" only means "Daddy Not Available." Terrible joke...
Thursday marked my first trip to Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), specifically Victoria Jubilee - the maternity ward. The hospital is the biggest public hospital in Jamaica and I believe one of the largest in the Caribbean. I was told by my colleagues that it would be a very "local" experience, but I was stunned. The dreary halls of the hospital were packed - and I mean, totally JAM-PACKED with hundreds of women. Many of them were very pregnant and looked unbelievably uncomfortable in the summer heat and others held young children by hand. And lots of them appeared very poor, marked by dirtier clothing.
I spent the morning interviewing the acting Senior Medical Officer about the treatment of cervical cancer at KPH. I was shocked to hear that there was one radiology machine (only two in all of Jamaica), and it was shared between all types of cancer. I told him how surprised I was when I arrived in JA to find out that healthcare was totally free. At this, he chuckled a bit, saying that yes it was free, but (again) it really was a question of whether you could access it. He stated that many of the women I had seen in the halls had been waiting all day with hopes that they would see a doctor, but several of them may not be able to just because of the tight circumstances. Definitely a devastating and personally eye-opening experience for me.
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n a happier note, Thursday I had my first visitor! Samir stopped by on a quick side trip on his way from NYC to SF. This marked my first opportunity as a tour guide! We went to Scotchie's, the awesome Jerk place near my apartment. With its open seating, surrounded by palm trees and other tropical plants, Samir said it was exactly what he expected Jamaica to be like! Of course, we finished up dinner by getting some naturally fruity ice cream at Devon House. Note to self: the coconut flavor is very yummy. At night, my roommates and Jamaican friends Kam and Gregg were ready to go out to give Samir a sense of the Kingston night life! We went to "Ladies Night" at Fiction. Despite a small altercation at the door when Jasmine's outfit wasn't "fancy enough," we had a great time... what quickly turned into a full-fledge dancing, 4a.m. time... Kingston-style. See picture - Samir, me, Ash, Jazz, and Kam at Fiction!Friday was the first time that I have really left Kingston... Samir and I went to Ochi! Ocho Rios is located on the north coast, approx. 2 hours from Kingston by bus (see circle below). The bus ride itself was extremely pleasant, as we drove through the tropical mountains.
As expected, Ochi was GORGEOUS! We ate lots of jerk chicken, read by the pool, played a little ping pong and played cards (I won!) while sipping tropical drinks (me) or red stripe (him). Definitely relaxing. We treated ourselves to a fancy seafood dinner as well, which was superb! It was a little weird to see everything in US Dollars, but I had to remind myself that so many people come here for vacation! Our waiter definitely asked where we were from, and I proudly said, "Kingston!" Clearly my accent made him a little skeptical... oh well.Below are a few pictures of the resort where we hung out (The Jamaica Sunset Grande) with shots of the beautiful ocean! This one below I took from a friend, but it's a good shot of where we stayed (yellow buildings on the left) and the beach around it.
Definitely quite the sight, right? I promise the rest of these are from my camera and have not been enhanced :)
And I leave you with a sign at the resort, that truly encompasses the way I feel here... Enjoy!
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