From Kaieteur News (05/18/09):
Chairman of the Alliance for Change Khemraj Ramjattan says that more information should be revealed about PNCR leader Robert Corbin’s medical expenses, since over $10M in taxpayers’ dollars have already been spent. Ramjattan conceded that the nature of Corbin’s ailment deserves some amount of confidentiality. But he said that there must be a balance between that and accountability. According to Ramjattan, while Corbin does hold an important office in Guyana, it is taxpayers’ money that is been used and it is strange that, to date, there has been no specific pronouncement on the Opposition Leader’s condition since he took ill on April 25 and was flown to the US to undergo surgery. More Here.
Fidela Corbin responds to Ramjattan in a letter to Stabroek News (05/21/09):
I will state categorically that I personally have no objection to ‘freedom of information’ as regards public expenses, and specifically no objection to the cost of medical treatment for Mr Corbin being disclosed when it becomes available. In fact, I wish Mr Ramjattan was as strong a proponent of this issue when he was a member of the PPP and will maintain this view should he ever ascend to higher public office. Mr Ramjattan, however, with his new penchant for Freedom of Information and its application to the cost of medical treatment at taxpayers’ expense, should apply an equitable principle and call for the entire list of beneficiaries that Dr Luncheon announced had been treated similarly in the past . . . I am sure that Mr Ramjattan is aware that lawyer/client confidentiality applies equally to a doctor/patient. These duties of confidentiality should be paramount, with limited exceptions. The public disclosure of this information is purely at the client/patient’s discretion. I strongly disagree that the right to privacy of medical records is outweighed by pure curiosity or in Guyanese parlance ‘fastness’. More Here.
First the obvious...
Why is Ramjattan calling for disclosure of Corbin's medical condition, and not for a general disclosure of the medical records of public officials whose bills are paid by Guyanese taxpayers? Is Corbin the only public official who should be accountable to taxpayers in this regard? Or, are we to assume that the money spent on Corbin's care was so astronomically unprecedented, that the public has the right to know what on earth is so wrong with him that so much money had to be spent?
And, if the huge expenditure is the basis for Ramjattan's call (he can't possibly have a politically motivated ulterior motive, can he?), does the amount spent on his medical care outweigh Corbin's (or any public official's for that matter) right to privacy?
I personally think any public official who cares about his or her constituency or potential voters should be forthright about his or her capacity to lead, and as such should disclose any medical problems he or she might have. But, it should be his or her choice to do so.
I further believe the public has a right to know, but not simply because they're footing the bill. Health matters concern the public as well. And since public officials have a wide platform, it would be great for them to enlighten the public about health issues resulting from their own problems. Aging males and females (like Corbin) may be more interested in learning about any medical condition that could afflict them, and about how to guard against it, rather than how much the government of Guyana (so honourably disclosed) spent on his care. That's what I consider paramount to anything else. But, this one's up to you Mr. Corbin.
