Should we care about MPs' health?

Dennie Quill, Columnist

Recently, I overheard someone saying a well-known politician was ill and had been hospitalised. I was unable to check this independently and have seen no media reports to this effect, so I will refrain from calling any names in this article.

I wish to use this space as a platform, however, for placing public-health issues on the political front burner. The first matter has to do with the state of our health facilities and their ability to deliver quality health care, especially to the most vulnerable. Health-care workers make a case for their dedication and willingness to go the extra mile to see to their patients' needs. Many will admit that resources are woefully inadequate in the public-health system.

So it is great when a politician feels confident to seek medical care in his homeland. This is not the norm among Third-World politicians who usually seize the first opportunity to jet away for treatment overseas, sending a signal that the medicine practised locally is not good enough - for the important people in society.

It is profoundly paradoxical that at a time when the University of the West Indies is turning out more doctors, there remains this huge gap between the demand for health care and its delivery.

The other issue concerns the right of constituents to be made aware of their representatives' state of health. People generally tend to be very secretive about their health. Take the case of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who was stricken with illness for many months seeking treatment in Cuba. However, although media reports suggested he was suffering from cancer, the true nature and severity of his illness was never revealed.

Are constituents entitled to explicit knowledge about the state of their leader's health?

Politics is stressful, and leaders have to make tough decisions which affect people's lives. If they get it wrong, it could weigh heavily on their minds. This could make them concerned, or worse, depressed. Even backbenchers have to make big decisions from time to time. This stress could lead one to the bottle or to drugs.

SCREENING FOR POLITICIANS

Dr Ashley Weinberg, lecturer at the University of Salford, England, feels politicians should be regularly screened to test their psychological health to ensure they are in the best position to make decisions in the national interest. Has the time come for such screening to take place in Jamaica?

In most jobs, one has to successfully pass a medical examination to be confirmed. An executive profile is a mandatory procedure for top management in most companies. Not so in politics. The candidate wins, is sworn in, and goes to work right away.

With an estimated one in four persons suffering from mental-health problems at some point in their lives, and with 63 members of parliament in Jamaica - well, you can do the math.

Let's be clear about one thing, though. Mental-health problems may not prevent persons from carrying out their jobs. The iconic Winston Churchill had his bouts of 'black dog' episodes, but the public never really knew about them. And Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik went public with his mental problems and was re-elected for a second term in 2001.

Far from being viewed in a disparaging manner, he was embraced and received overwhelming support from citizens of his country. His frankness with his constituents ensured that the nation had a better understanding of mental-health issues and the country was better able to confront discrimination of persons with mental illness.

Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and denniequill@hotmail.com.