Open letter to Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Dear Editor,

I am a 30-year-old woman living in St Elizabeth and I am not in a stable job at the moment. I have been diagnosed with sickle cell over two years now. My parents are old and not working and they are not getting a pension. Now I am the only child that they have, and even though I am sick I am trying to do all I can to help myself and the others in the household.

I operate a small stall near the roadside in my community and I sell small items and bottled liquor and cigarette and things like that. I make enough money to provide for our basic needs and also for my medication, and when it stretches my parents get as well.

Most of the people who support me are passersby and commuters, taxi and truck drivers. They know that I am not healthy and so they make an effort to help me out by buying stuff from me.

I know that if the authorities should ban cigarette smoking further, or even tobacco, I am going to find it very hard to make ends meet because that would be taking out some of what I am making now. How would I supply the basic needs I have as a woman? How would I buy my medication? Who would help my parents? What about my bills? Who would pay them? Although I am sickly, I am trying as hard as I can not to depend on anybody because everybody is finding it difficult to cope in the country right now with the way things are.

I am planning to send myself back to school so I can get a skill and the qualifications I need to become a nurse. When they ban tobacco I know that it will be a setback for my dreams. I find it to be unfair because I am a sick person trying hard to make it in this world, and to know that the people who are in a better position than I am want to make my hardship even more, I think they are heartless. I am pleading with the relevant authorities that there are people in Jamaica who are worse off than you and who do not have a better choice than to do what we do, so please be considerate before you act. What if you were in my position at this moment? Let the people who choose to smoke make their choice, if that is the issue or the reason as to why you wish to ban cigarette.

Nicolette Crump

liv_nicolette@gmail.com