Shared Future Within The OECS: Be Not Distracted Patrick Martin, MD February 1, 2018 Hats off to Sir Kennedy Simmonds and his visionary colleague leaders who signed the 1981 Treaty of Basseterre which set forth the OECS. Their foresight now translates to a stable EC currency, an independent judiciary, a single civil aviation authority, pooled… Read More
Equal But Separate! Commentary by Patrick Martin January 11, 2018 Is the Minister, master or servant? Is the civil servant’s employment one of serfdom? These and other questions arise out of the NIA’s “All Rise” ruling. Seemingly, the mischief being corrected is endemic lack of courtesy in the Civil Service. Honour and respect are due… Read More
Diabetes Control: A Matter of Political Will Patrick Martin, MD Student and Citizen November 2017 Imagine a small island nation where 20% of children are big. Big, as in upwards of 50 pounds of fat hanging from the midsection and extremities of young and delicate skeletal frames. In the Federation, there are primary school children… Read More
Resilience, Self-Reliance, Solidarity, Leadership: Category 5+ Urgencies Patrick Martin Resident Citizen & Student September 24, 2017 Tears of a prime minister just about sum up the recurring reality in the region. Lives lost and livelihoods shattered by the interminable winds of Category 5+ terror, buckets of rain and waves crashing two storeys high. Climate Change… Read More
Seventeen Patrick Martin, MD Student & Resident Citizen Seventeen year olds are children in late adolescence. They should be buried in books or software development, not in a grave. They should be taking shots at goal or throwing the shot put, not shooting or being shot at. The nation continues to reel under the burden… Read More
The theme for International Nurses Day 2017 called for greater nursing activism in achieving Sustainable Development. Why should nurses in St. Kitts and Nevis care about development policy? It is a fair question given the demotivating stresses they face. The vision of Sustainable Development is a more harmonious balance between economic growth, social justice, and environmental… Read More
A National Sports Authority: For A More Healthy, Productive & Peaceful Nation Patrick Martin, MD Citizen& Student May 2017 The Federation ranks among the ten most obese countries in the world. Drug trafficking and other devils are finding work for scores of youth. Funding shortfalls and other administrative gaps are recurring nightmares for travelling teams. There are… Read More
The Marijuana Commission: Moving From Filibuster To Legalization Patrick Martin, MD Citizen & Student April 2017 Marijuana is a plant. Use in the local culture is prevalent. Outright demonization of nature’s creation is illogical and imprudent. The announcement of a “National Commission on Marijuana/Cannabis Sativa” reads as a policy U-turn. Undoubtedly, assertiveness in the electorate… Read More
Vending and the Issue of Governance Patrick Martin, MD Citizen & Student March 2016 Governance is about decision-making and implementation. When political governance is good, public policy is transparent and responsive to the needs of society, policy leaders are answerable and unafraid of media scrutiny, and deception and corruption are minimized (adapted from the United… Read More
Rough Dem Up! Patrick Martin, MD Citizen& Student February 6, 2017 An official directive to “Rough Dem Up” may be unpolished but exasperation over unrelenting violence is justified. Criminal activity appears immune to communal supplication and change in government. Too many citizens are held hostage in their homes suffering psychosomatic ailments such as panic attacks,… Read More
Source: Holt-LunstadJ, Smith TB, Layton JB (2010) Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review. PLOS Medicine 7(7): e1000316.
https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316
