Imani Tafari-Ama | Gender-sensitive hospitals, elections and development

Eighteen years ago when I took my daughter to the Bustamante Hospital for Children, I was shocked to learn that the institution only admits one caregiver at a time into the waiting room. They explained that this restriction was because of a space problem. They would not take on board my argument that it is easier for two people to take care of a sick child than one.

Besides, (I ranted then), if man and woman make children, how can you make a rule that, by default, results in the woman being the one to spend those long hours it takes to get care, with a fractious infant? Invariably, as culture and nature conspire, care-giving is deemed to be a woman’s responsibility, especially in the early years. This denies many men access to the choice and expectation of being primarily responsible for fixing things like their sick children.

You can just imagine my shock and awe when talking to a friend recently, to learn that, 18 years later, she was up in arms against the same institution for denying her partner entry. The woman’s angst escalated because she was obliged to spend hours, stretching into morning, with her baby. She wondered aloud how the mothers he saw who came from the rural areas refreshed themselves. She could take short trips home for this purpose, which they could not do.

My friend said that her partner was denied entry into the facility and they were told that this was because of insufficient space. This only added insult to their injury. As this distraught mother said, she took her baby to the hospital to be treated for a high fever. She said that the doctors told her that they had administered a “wrong medication” to her baby. This blunder resulted in the enlargement of the baby’s heart, requiring prolonged hospitalisation to reduce the swelling. I think her anger was most intense, though, because she runs a small business which had to close because of her prolonged absence.

SEASONAL CURFEWS

This woman’s dilemma was compounded by the seasonal curfews, which had already been disruptive, forcing early business closures, thus curtailing customers’ access. Since the recent flare-up of violence in Spanish Town, following the police’s killing of a known gang leader, many communities in the Old Capital and Kingston have been affected by early evening lockdowns. Of course, local tensions in some areas have exacerbated a heightened sense of citizen insecurity.

So, my friend is contending with many strands of the hydra-headed problem of underdevelopment. She is coming to terms with the chips that are stacked against her accessing voice or exercising power. She is convinced that, as a citizen from an underserved community who is benefiting from a free government service, it makes no sense to protest or even challenge a system that could, as she said, just crush her, for seeking the solution of justice.

In an election year, (which Andrew is taking his time to call), the need for social activism to place comprehensive citizen security issues on the agenda has never been more acute. The absence of such a cadre of civil society activists is indicative of waning ideological concern for human rights defence, in the face of pressing bread-and-butter survival. A recent study coming out of Northern Caribbean University raises alarm over food insecurity in Jamaica. This is a critical component of the packed basket of concerns that people from underserved areas are using to carry their proverbial water.

That spirit of social activism is what pushed people in 50 states to take to the streets to protest against the chaos-style of dictatorship that President Trump 2.0 has unleashed, as promised, from Day 1. What is happening in the United States (US) right now is a clear case of who pays the piper calls the tune. Donald Trump’s campaign for president 2.0 was financed by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. And now he is making the decisions that are pivotal for the USA’s financial and political security.

Elon Musk’s decision to dismantle the US’ Agency for International Development (USAID) was a trigger for the protesters. The takeover of the Federal system sent alarm bells ringing in all sectors of society. The international implications of Musk’s enlargement is that countries like Jamaica will feel a cut in aid spending, which supplements care in the health sector. His declaration that his native South Africa should be sanctioned for the land nationalisation plan is racist as it challenges decades of illegal land-grabs by the white minority population.

OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAME COIN

How are these issues connected? Economists Immanuel Wallerstein and Samir Amin argued many years ago that development and underdevelopment are opposite sides of the same coin. Dependent countries like Jamaica fail to provide adequate social services as a result of decades of debt-servicing regimes that sacrifice such standards. Expanding waiting rooms at children’s hospitals to reflect gender-responsive values is not seen as a policy priority.

This blindness is typical across partisan regimes. A voiceless population must find the courage of their inalienable human rights to demand that public officials provide adequate health services. This support should transcend the insufficiencies that are typical of the ‘freeness’ in sectors accessed by the public.

In the post-COVID-19 era, parents, teachers and students are among those still grappling with contracted socio-economic conditions. The reason why the coming elections, due by September, should be called, is that there may be even further disruptive responses, if the impact of the recent flare-up and subsequent restrictions are anything to go by. Many students may, as they did recently, have to miss school. Political and violence-related disruptions may affect their capacity to study.

We must remember what happened when students missed out on so much of essential learning when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. And, in the near future, they are going to have increasing exposure to volatility in known hotspots. Communities should be put on notice so they can prepare, considering that major examinations are scheduled for the June-July period. What is going to happen to those children and their performance? Given the high illiteracy rate in Jamaica (many persons are also functionally illiterate), you can basically say that both sides of the political fence should work to find ways to ensure that schools are not unduly affected.

The signing of this bipartisan contract is an urgent necessity.

Imani Tafari-Ama, PhD, is a Pan-African advocate and gender and development specialist. Send feedback to i.tafariama@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com