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by pltm
(PLTM) - Proprietor of the Bouganvillea Clinic and Eureka Medical Complex, Dr. Heskith Vanterpool claims that his offer to help to raise healthcare standards in the Territory as a public/private partnership has largely been ignored.
Further the businessman noted that his price could not be a reason for the manner he is treated because he would have tried to make an arrangement is a conversation was raised.
As a guest on Claude Skelton-Cline Honestly Speaking radio programme that was broadcasted on ZBVI on November 5, the businessman announced that as a Virgin Islander who has invested in order to deliver certain medical services to the people of the Territory he is not treated well.
In fact, Dr. Vanterpool stated that every time he offered to forge a partnership with the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA) it is ignored for unknown reasons.
During that interview, Dr. Vanterpool repeated the claim that was recently downplayed by BVIHSA management that there were Persons walking around Peebles Hospital persuading patients to not take cardiology services at Bougainvillea.
Further Dr. Vanterpool noted that he was one of the respondents to the BVIHSA’s request for proposal in 2016 for cardiovascular services. He said that his response to the request featured collaboration with a top regional organization that comprises of experts in the field. However, he said that the BVIHSA chose to go with MSI.
He also mentioned that he invested heavily to establish a cath lab, but instead of support, the BVIHSA has tried to find alternative services.
“In the whole of the Caribbean, Winward Islands there’s no cath lab. we need the service and I have people coming in on a regular basis.”
The Clinic owner said that his lab, which is a year old, has made significant strides, but the service providers the BVIHSA chose have not done much.
“Since 2016 that group has done very little to advance cardiology service in the BVI; whereas my group has done a great deal to advance cardiology service in the BVI, and are still willing to partner with Peebles Hospital, ” Dr. Vanterpool shared.
In noting that pricing cannot be the reason why his service offers were ignored, Dr. Vanterpool said: “They have never come to me and said well Dr. Vanterpool at your prices we’re not happy with that can you reduce your prices? Can we work out something? Of course, something like that can be worked out. Of course, but they’ve never approached and asked for any help. They’ve simply tried to set up a system to counter mine.”
He also noted that the NHI did not indicate an issue with his pricing either:
“National Health Insurance seems happy with my prices and happily covers it,” Vanterpool stated.
The business owner said that he does not think the situation is political as it has being going on for more than 20 years.
“I am not wanting to blame the current people who are in there because this has been a pattern from 1999, so I don’t quite understand it. I continue to press on and do my work, keep offering and continue offering to do things at the Peebles Hospital,” Dr. Vanterpool stated.
He added, “I’ve been struggling to understand, but this is something that has been a pattern from way back…It’s not a political party or anything like that but there seems to be a resistance from people at the level of the Ministry of Health at the BVI Health Services Authority and so on. Somewhere in there, there seems to be some kind of a resistance."
According to Dr. Vanterpool, the situation is bothersome since he has studied hard and taken risks to bring services to the Virgin Islands.
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