From Sue Monks.
I AM writing to you in reference to the report (JEP, 27 February) regarding the possibility of Jersey entering into a health agreement with France instead of the UK. I ask the politicians to please, please think of the patients involved, who may not all speak and understand French.

The patients who are sent out of the Island for treatment are most likely to be ill, quite possibly seriously ill. I can speak from experience, having spent about six weeks in UK hospitals during 2005. It is bad enough being in a hospital with few visitors at such a time, but to have a language barrier would make life much more distressing.

My own French would be stretched to do more than to inquire about the whereabouts of the pen of my aunt. Even then I am not sure if it would be good enough to understand the reply. How on earth would I have made myself understood when I was ill, and how would I have been able to talk to the doctors and nurses?

What is a scary enough time in your life would be terrifying if you have absolutely no idea as to what you are being told and are unable to ask any meaningful questions.

The shortage of visitors would be made even worse if you are unable to hold a conversation with fellow patients. The isolation would be almost intolerable, and we may be talking weeks and not days in hospital.

During such a hospital stay it seems to me that the language problems could also result in misunderstandings between the patient and the medical staff. These could be life-threatening.

How good is the French of our Jersey medical staff? Is it up to discuss-ing complex medical conditions with French doctors? Is the English of the French medical staff good enough to report back to our doctors?

Then we could have the different approaches to administering drugs. It seems more than a little strange to most of us to treat a headache with a suppository!

French medical expertise may well be on a par with that of the UK — indeed it might be better — but I find it terrifying to think that I might end up in a French hospital, not having a clue as to what was happening to me and being unable to ask.

So politicians and health professionals must stop and think before they enter into an agreement with anywhere other than an English-speaking country. They might speak French, but we might not.
34 Mont ès Croix,
St Brelade.