Today’s column of “Que se dice” (What’s being said) uses a very Dominican idiom to describe a difficult situation. “Berenjenal” is a place where eggplants are grown, but the meaning is much closer to the “Briar Patch” from the stories of Uncle Remus. The situation is the government’s announcement of a US$25 million “help” and its own participation as a partner in the HOMS (Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago) hospital in Santiago. The columnist says that there is no doubt that the government has entered a “briar patch” when it decided to become a partner in the hospital.
Yesterday the Association of Clinics of Santiago published a communique, along with the wave upon wave of criticisms, that denounced the fact that the state is participating in a hospital that will only benefit a small portion of the population in prejudice of 50,000 doctors, nurses, workers and support personnel that work in the clinics that belong to the association.
Meanwhile, it is unclear what form the government’s participation in the hospital will take. The facility itself will be the most modern in the entire area.
Even less is known as to the “why” the government got tangled up in a marriage that is so difficult to justify in a country with so many deficiencies in the public health system.
Upon making the announcement of the government assistance, President Fernandez said that the agreement makes it possible for low income persons to receive medical assistance at the center.