{"id":1803,"date":"2012-08-03T09:35:20","date_gmt":"2012-08-03T09:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/2012\/08\/03\/letters-44\/"},"modified":"2019-09-25T12:35:14","modified_gmt":"2019-09-25T08:35:14","slug":"letters-44","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/letters-44\/","title":{"rendered":"Medical Thieves"},"content":{"rendered":"
Letters<\/span><\/h6>\n

By D.C. WEST<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Having been sufficiently stupid to smoke excessively in my youth, and up to the age of 58, I started getting severe breathing problems, and had to go and see a lung specialist in Beau Bassin. He was highly competent and attentive, and not expensive in his charges. His verdict was clear enough: \u201cMr West, you have one of two choices: you carry on smoking and die soon, or you stop smoking totally and live to a decent old age.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That same weekend, and with a small glass of rum for Dutch courage in hand, I quit smoking. Since then I have not touched any form of tobacco, and, believe me, it was so easy. (I don\u2019t understand all these clinics and courses, for which you have to pay heavily, when I achieved the same with no expense or difficulty, inside of one week!)<\/span><\/p>\n

However, I had smoked for so long and so much, some damage occurred in my lungs. Now I have to use a Ventolin inhaler to ease breathing quite often. However again, recently I had a particularly bad attack and had to be admitted to a private clinic where, I must say, I was very well treated, recovered, and went home the next morning. There really is no comparison with either the infrastructure or the treatment meted out in public hospitals, which are basically awful, and these private clinics, which are superb by comparison.<\/span><\/p>\n

But then comes the big shock. The cost for one stay overnight, plus some internal treatment, came to Rs 18,000!<\/span><\/p>\n

I had two short visits by a consultant also. But still, Rs 18,000!! Is that sum not grossly excessive?<\/span><\/p>\n

I think the Government should perform a thorough investigation of clinic costs (of all types) and of their charges and hence profits, and enforce appropriate charges for various types of treatment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet another medical rip-off is private doctors\u2019 charges for JUST a prescription. No consultation, just a long wait in a queue, a visit to the quack of say 3 minutes, and you get a piece of paper costing Rs 350, CASH, not taxable, therefore. All private doctors should therefore be deemed to receive, privately, say Rs 500,000 per annum, at least, and taxed accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n

D.C. WEST<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

* * *<\/span><\/p>\n

Un retour \u00e0 l’esclavagisme ?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

La Mauritius Sugar Producers Association (MSPA) a toujours repr\u00e9sent\u00e9 les usiniers de la canne \u00e0 sucre aux divers comit\u00e9s depuis des si\u00e8cles. Cette association a toujours men\u00e9 la vie dure aux\u00a0repr\u00e9sentants – syndicalistes – des travailleurs de cette industrie. Jusqu\u2019\u00e0 un tel point que l\u2019Histoire nous d\u00e9montre que ces laboureurs et ces artisans ont connu des jours tr\u00e8s durs, parmi lesquels, il y a m\u00eame eu des morts. Anjalay!<\/span><\/p>\n

Les autorit\u00e9s responsables de l\u2019agriculture nationale, ont, pour couper l\u2019herbe sous les pieds de ce patronat enlev\u00e9 toute repr\u00e9sentativit\u00e9 \u00e0 la MSPA. Cela n\u2019a pas plu \u00e0 ces barons. Pas du tout. Ils ripostent. Ils refusent de s\u2019asseoir \u00e0 toute table de n\u00e9gociation avec une nouvelle force cr\u00e9\u00e9e par des travailleurs pour discuter <\/span>\u00e0 <\/span>propos de l\u2019augmentation des salaires. Tous les syndicats de l\u2019industrie sucri\u00e8re se sont, en effet, rassembl\u00e9s sous l\u2019ombre du Joint Negotiating Panel (JNP) pour d\u00e9fendre les int\u00e9r\u00eats de tous de la classe ouvri\u00e8re : travailleurs agricoles et artisans. Le patronat argue que les discussions en vue des demandes d\u2019augmentation de salaires doivent se faire sur une base d\u2019individualit\u00e9 des usines et non avec la MSPA. Cette association d\u00e9clare que chaque usine a ses probl\u00e8mes et ses sp\u00e9cificit\u00e9s. Pourquoi exister si elle ne veut pas s\u2019asseoir \u00e0 des tables de travail\u00a0?, demande Ashok Subron.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

En effet, m\u00eame au niveau de la Commission de Conciliation et de M\u00e9diation (CCM), la MSPA n\u2019a pas h\u00e9sit\u00e9 \u00e0 faire la sourde oreille\u00a0: aucune communication afin de chercher un terrain d\u2019entente. Exasp\u00e9r\u00e9, le JNP a inform\u00e9 la Commission de\u00a0sa d\u00e9cision de lancer un mouvement de gr\u00e8ve dans l\u2019industrie sucri\u00e8re, devenue canni\u00e8re, et pour cause, l\u2019Assembl\u00e9e des d\u00e9l\u00e9gu\u00e9s approuvant l\u2019id\u00e9e de gr\u00e8ve. Des pr\u00e9paratifs pour le vote au niveau de chaque cat\u00e9gorie des travailleurs ont commenc\u00e9 cette semaine, et ce, en pr\u00e9sence de la Commission qui agira comme observateur. La gr\u00e8ve est pr\u00e9vue pour la fin du mois en cours, en pleine p\u00e9riode de coupe.<\/span><\/p>\n

La MSPA a fait \u00e9mettre un communiqu\u00e9 d\u00e9clarant toute gr\u00e8ve ill\u00e9gale. Non, r\u00e9torque le JNP, car c\u2019est tout est fait selon les lois tombant sous la Employment Relations Act, article 69(6), alors que le patronat parle de la section 77 de la m\u00eame Act. Guerre de nerfs sur le ring entre 69(6) et 77.<\/span><\/p>\n

Le Professeur Ved Torul, Pr\u00e9sident de la CCM, recommande le recours <\/span>\u00e0<\/span> un tribunal de justice pour trancher la question pour les deux parties. Mais il semble que le patronat ne veut absolument rien entendre. Absolument rien. Pas de r\u00e9union. Pas de n\u00e9gociation. Pas de compromis. Tout simplement une gr\u00e8ve ill\u00e9gale, d\u00e9clare-t-elle avec force, voire d\u2019une fa\u00e7on autoritaire. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sommes-nous en pr\u00e9sence d\u2019un retour \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e8re de l\u2019esclavagisme de la p\u00e9riode coloniale quand les oligarchies faisaient la pluie et le beau temps\u00a0? Les choses ont chang\u00e9. Nos milliardaires de l\u2019industrie canni\u00e8re, jadis au sein de 11 familles, aujourd\u2019hui regroup\u00e9s en 5 familles, doivent comprendre sinc\u00e8rement, honn\u00eatement et clairement que de nos jours, employeurs et employ\u00e9s doivent absolument regarder dans la m\u00eame direction, sans porter de visi\u00e8re, et cela pour le progr\u00e8s de l\u2019industrie et du pays. Au cas contraire, des blessures importantes et graves risquent d\u2019\u00eatre caus\u00e9es.<\/span><\/p>\n

I.A.R.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

* Published in print edition on 3 August 2012<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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